Awakening
by ArcanineTales
Summary: Peace has finally settled on the countless worlds and Radiant Garden has been restored to its former glory. If the shattered worlds could recover so fully, then why was it the person she loved most was so far out of reach? Why did he continue to sleep? Terra&Aqua fluff!
1. Miracle

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story. The pic I used for this is not mine either, it belongs to AquaxTerra on DeviantArt and all credit of the pic goes to her for that, the link to it is on my profile.

**Awakening**

_AN: This first chapter is very short, but please note that all future chapters will be anywhere between 3000-10,000 words long. (Yes it varies quite a bit depending on my level of inspiration for each chapter.)  
_

**Chapter One – Miracle**

Fading sunlight poured in through the bedroom window, its desperate yellow light splayed across the interior of the silent room, turning sky blue hair into a golden copper. Aqua squinted against the glare of the sunset as it sunk beneath the far off horizon. She sat in a chair near the window, watching as darkness claimed the landscape outside.

She closed her eyes and breathed a mild sigh, reflecting weariness and sorrow. It had been a number of years after those horrible events involving Xehanort and her former master Eraqus, so many that she had lost count. The fact that her body and the bodies of her friends not seeming to age even a day was an ever present element resulting in her losing track of the passage of time.

She hadn't however, lost count of a single day since _he_ returned to her world. And even though his return was incomplete, she still had hope. Aqua turned to the man on the bed nearby, her cloudy eyes once again regarding his lifeless body with disappointment. It had been three months and ten days since Sora brought his body back, assured that although comatose, Terra would someday wake up.

She stood up from her chair and went to his side, staring down at him with the last remnants of hope that still clung to her heart. It was just like what Ventus had been through, what he had put _them _through, his best friends. Why was it both her boys had to do this to her? It seemed like all she could ever do was stand on the sidelines nearby, watching, waiting for them to succeed and come back to her.

Out of all her travels throughout worlds, there had been instances where the prince had woken his princess up from a forever sleep with just a kiss. She couldn't say that she hadn't tried it at least once, but sadly it hadn't worked, Terra just went on sleeping. Stubborn boy. Perhaps it simply wasn't true love between them? She certainly felt a terribly strong love for him, but maybe the same rules just simply didn't apply in their world. And there was no way of knowing if he had felt the same... Not now anyway.

Twining her right hand fingers with his left, she lowered her forehead to his in a feather light touch. The pain in her heart overwhelming her and overflowing in her voice. "Come back to me Terra," she whimpered quietly, tears starting to flow down her brows, then to her forehead. "I miss you, _so much_..." Her eyes glistening with heartache, she failed to notice her tears had begun rolling off her forehead and onto his.

With a perfect symmetry, the moment his dark blue orbs opened was when she closed hers. It wasn't until she felt a gentle hand resting on the back of her head that her eyes popped open in astonishment. "A-Aqua?" Terra's hoarse voice croaked, his eyes were foggy as though he were blind.

"Terra!" Aqua gasped with astonishment. It was such a wonderful voice. _His_ voice. And she hadn't heard it in so long! "You're awake!" she cried with delight and without hesitation she kissed his forehead tenderly. He merely blinked in response to the affectionate gesture and when he made a move to sit up Aqua helped him. "I've got to go tell the others, stay right there, I'll be right back!"

And with that she was running out the bedroom door, leaving a bewildered Terra to sit and ponder where he would even go if he didn't stay right there.

* * *

It soon became apparent that Terra had lost his memories... All of them. Much to Aqua's dismay. It seemed that he had only remembered her name and her presence to associate with it. Unfortunately that was all he could remember about her. It was somewhat of a comfort that he hadn't remembered Ven's name right away, though he seemed to recognize him at first.

Aqua and Ven had decided to take Terra to see master Yen Sid to see if the wizard could help restore Terra's memories. Sadly there was nothing he could do, though he assured them that with time and enough exposure to Aqua and Ven's hearts, their memories would trigger his, and he would eventually remember everything. Though there was no knowing how long the process would take.

After it had been restored to its former glory, Radiant Garden turned out to be a hub of activity, with friends and rivals alike, all striving to build a society with the intention of protecting the various worlds. Thus Aqua and Ven decided it would be as good a place as any to help Terra recover, both mentally and physically.

Most days, Ven spent his time helping to build the new guardian academy, of which Leon and Cloud were spearheading. The goal for such an academy was to train enough guardians in preparation should another disaster strike the worlds.

Ven was already a star pupil, Aqua knew, and before long he too would be a Keyblade master. Although, in many ways Ven was already a master, but he insisted that he finish the training and help with the academy building project. Thus he unknowingly left Terra to Aqua's care, although he spent as much time as he could with them, the majority of the time he wasn't around. It wasn't exactly negligence on his part, rather it was just Ven's natural inability to say no to anyone asking for help.

It had been a month since they brought Terra to Radiant Garden to recover. At first his memories dropped painfully slow, like snowflakes. But it seemed that he would remember a little more each day, as if multiplying like a rolling snowball. And then suddenly one day a great multitude came together like an avalanche, and he was so much like himself again, his old self.

And Aqua felt like she would never again need another miracle.


	2. Love

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

**Awakening**

**Chapter Two – Love**

* * *

_He could remember certain words but lacked the founding of them, unsure of their meaning. Sometimes they came in random patterns, other times there seemed to be a string of words, all within a similar theme. So, many days the two friends would simply sit together among the soothing waters of Radiant Garden's fountain courtyard. He would remember the words and Aqua would explain them. She didn't mind serving as his personal walking dictionary, it was a small contribution if it helped him recover his memory. Besides, she enjoyed spending this time with him. Their time together was peaceful now, serene. No longer hampered by their old rivalry or competition to be Keyblade masters._

_With the water cascading down all around in an endless rhythm, they sat together on one of the various benches round about. The water flowed continuously up into the air from multiple spouts, spraying a mist and falling back into the deep pools._

_Terra was watching a particular fountain with a placid expression as the water was catching some sunlight and flashed with rainbow colors. He had just asked for another explanation and was listening intently. He didn't notice when Aqua turned and smiled warmly at him. "Friendship is the warm affection or fondness that you feel for people closest to you." It seemed that today his words were following a theme, as she had just explained "affection" a few moments ago. _

_He nodded in response, seeming to assimilate the description for a few moments._

_She should have seen it coming, but for some reason Aqua was caught off guard when he asked for the next word. _

"_Love." _

_She stared at him, a stunned look on her face. That was how he usually asked for a word, he merely said it, without a question in his tone, so it wasn't unusual. But the word itself had thrown her off and it took a little longer than it should have to realize that he was expecting her to explain it._

_She thought earnestly for a moment, finding it a more daunting task than most words she had been expected to explain. She raised a hand to her chest and closed her eyes, allowing the answer to come straight from her heart._

"_Love for someone is a deeper affection than friendship. Though the two are often connected. It's the warm feeling you get in your heart when the people you love are nearby." She paused, a light shading blushing her cheeks. "There are also different types of love."_

_Terra didn't nod or show any recognition at first, which was unusual, since he always seemed to remember the word perfectly after she had explained it to him accurately. This made her rethink her explanation. Was love simply too complicated to be explained? Or did it just require more information? She was wondering if he needed her to explain it in more detail when he turned to her in that instant, a thoughtful look in his eyes._

"_I think that... I think that I've loved you since I woke up-" Terra paused abruptly, thoughtful, "no," he added, as though denying his former statement and making Aqua's heart sink for an instant. "I think it was before that."_

_In that moment, Aqua had no words, she could only stare at him in astonishment, her mouth slightly parted as a single tear of joy escaped from her eye unbidden. _

_Moments passed in silence until Terra broke in again. "Aqua," he started, carefully hesitant. "How do you show someone that you love them?"_

_She didn't know when, but she had looked away from him at some point, only for her gaze to return to him at the question. "Oh, well..." She hesitated, wondering how best she could explain such a thing. "You see, like I said, there are different kinds of love that you have for different people. You'll just have to discover the differences with time. But as for us," she said, easing over and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Something like this would do."_

_Terra nodded solemnly, his eyes catching hers for an instant, and she thought she seen something shift in those dark pools. He reached out with one hand and slowly, with the gentlest touch, eased her head towards his. Aqua nearly panicked but soon realized he meant only to kiss the top of her head, his face covered by her sky blue hair. "So this is ok?" he asked, his tone almost a tease._

"_You learn fast," Aqua praised, and although her voice betrayed some suspicion, she did not attempt to move away from the gesture._

"_No," Terra said flatly. "I think I... remember."_

_With that Aqua **did** push back to look at him, her eyes wide, her mouth stretched even wider for a long syllable. "**Really**?!" _

_He smiled and gave a slight nod. "I think I remember how I-" he hesitated, tilting his head a bit thoughtfully. "How I **should** have treated you."_

* * *

Radiant Garden's new Guardian Academy appeared impressive as the construction work neared completion. Only a handful of incomplete walls and scaffolding remained round about. The mighty structure towered high over a large training courtyard below its many front gate steps. Its threshold displaying a vigilant guardian of stone, an imposing statue of a beloved mentor.

A chorus of determined shouts channeled the air in a timed repetition. A class of young children the source of the clamor as they swept through a sword fighting exercise in perfect unity, their training blades slashing only air.

The children's ages varied from five to eleven, yet even the youngest in the group regarded their instructor with the utmost respect, their eyes shining brilliantly when said instructor nodded her approval. "Very good, all of you," Aqua commended proudly, circling the group and regarding her students one at a time, her soft blue eyes reflecting a gentle fondness. "Take a break everyone, you've earned it."

As most of the children moved to gratefully recline on the ground, Aqua smiled warmly and turned her gaze to a nearby bench where Terra sat, observing the session with neither boredom nor fascination, but more of a contentment. Aqua gave her head a cant and managed to withhold a frown. She wished he would show more interest in the children's training, since there were things only he could teach them, lessons that only he knew how to explain.

Terra quickly noted her dismal gaze and returned it, a question in his dark blue eyes.

Aqua honestly didn't know how to approach the subject, especially since, _"Get over here and give me a hand with these kids," _didn't sound like it would go over too well in her head. She must have released a hapless sigh without knowing it because one of the children, the youngest, stepped right up to Aqua with an impressively serious concern for such a young face.

"Master Aqua," the five year old little girl started, an innocent curiosity in her tone and Aqua regarded her intently, bending down to her level, hands on knees. "Um, why does Mr. Terra always sit out on our training? Doesn't he know how to fight, just like you?"

A bit taken back by the question, Aqua glanced between the child and Terra, noting his intent interest in the conversation though apparent reluctance to join in. "Well," the master began with a hint of humor in her voice, while noting briefly that she had the attention of the entire class. "He's here to learn, just like the rest of you."

"But,.." The girl seemed thoroughly confused, her face scrunched up oddly. "Wouldn't he learn more if he was training with us?"

"That's not it," Aqua chirped, placing a hand on the child's head fondly. "He's learning one of the hardest things of all, and that's how to teach."

"Oh," the little girl said, the idea seeming to click in her mind. "That sounds really difficult!" she admitted and added fervently, "but I bet he'll learn fast since you're the best teacher _ever_ Master Aqua!"

"Well, I don't know about that last part, but-" Aqua's slight embarrassment didn't last long as a negative murmuring grew in the ranks of the older children. "-don't think I want him to teach me anything, did you hear what he did?"

"-but I've heard stories..."

"-couldn't control the darkness..."

Startled by the sudden turn in demeanor of her students, Aqua turned to see a scowl on Terra's face and before she could put a stop to the minor insurgence he was walking away, a hurt look about him without meeting her gaze.

Aqua turned to give the offending students a cold hard look, something they weren't exactly used to and their comments halted instantly, mouths hanging ajar in bewilderment. "That's all for today," her tone was just as icy. "You all can spend the rest of your time studying up on the results of pessimism and why its best to avoid it."

"Master?" A hand shot up from the group.

"Yes?" Aqua fought the urge to sigh irritably.

"What is "pessimism"?"

Aqua did sigh at that point, rubbing her temple wearily before regarding her charges sternly. "Look it up, then study the lesson. I want a reasonably long report turned in by tomorrow."

A unified grown echoed through the class and offenders were quickly singled out as the cause of the suffering for the others.

Aqua felt a tugging on her sleeve and she looked to see the same little girl gazing up worriedly. "Did I say something bad?"

"No Dear," Aqua cooed, bending down and gently touching the child's head. "It wasn't you." Regaining her height, she turned to follow her sulking friend, thoughts of her misbehaving students left behind.

* * *

Her search didn't take long, Aqua knew where he would go. The fountain courtyard had become their usual retreat, the sound of the flowing water gave off a natural calming effect and helped them both to think more clearly.

Sure enough, standing there, brooding and his back to her as she approached, her boots clanging against the concrete below. She said nothing as she drew beside him, brows furrowed with worry as she leaned in to get a look at his expression.

He didn't acknowledge her at first but soon closed his eyes and inhaled a deep, calming breath before speaking. "It's been five months Aqua," he murmured, staring down at a clenched fist. "I know I can't expect people to accept me so soon, but I can barely live with _myself_, knowing what I've done-"

"Terra!" Aqua cut in, her tone bordering indignant, and instantly regretted her intensity. "We've been over this." She took a step closer, longing to reassure him physically but thought better of it. "That wasn't you!"

"Let me finish." He turned his head in her direction, not quite meeting her gaze. When she made no sign to speak, he continued, "it's just too hard for me to be constantly criticized while I'm still working through my own guilt on the matter. Now, even the children are turning on me. Who will be next?" His dark pools shown with a solemn emotion as they leveled with hers.

For a long moment, Aqua could only stare back, her own eyes reflecting his pain. She could guess where he was going with this but needed to hear the words regardless. "What do you have in mind?"

A bitter smile graced his handsome features, his tone implying a familiar topic. "I can't stay here Aqua."

Even though they had been over this subject more than once already, Aqua nonetheless felt her breath hitch with anxiety. They had planned to go on an adventure together with Ventus, just the three of them to revisit the different worlds and explore new ones. However, their plans had been put off due to the academy construction, of which demanded a great deal of time and energy from both Aqua and Ventus. "I know we talked about leaving, but its still so soon," she admitted sadly. "And I know Ven isn't ready yet." The boy had been excited to plan their adventure together, but made it clear that he wasn't going to leave until the academy was on its feet and could survive without them.

"Its ok," Terra replied softly, forcing down the selfishness that longed for his friends to join him, though a cold loneliness eclipsed a part of his heart. "You and Ven can stay and finish what you started-" he began but never got to finish his selfless speech...

"No Terra," Aqua interrupted firmly and reached out a hand to touch his chest where his heart would be. "You're hurting too much for me to leave you on your own." Retracting her hand to her own heart she raised her blue eyes to his. "I'm going with you."

Terra stared at her for a long time, both staggered and overjoyed that he wouldn't have to be alone this time! He felt so many things at once, an overwhelming affection for her and the selflessness she was so quick to extend and yet there was a nagging, jagged guilt regarding her willingness to drop everything dear to her, all her friends, students, and position. He frowned, brows furrowed deeply. He suddenly felt so very undeserving of it all.

"Do you not want me to go with you?" She obviously mistook his guilt for annoyance, her voice and features weighed down by disappointment.

"N-no!" Terra exclaimed, catching himself midway from grasping her by the shoulders, as if he thought she were about to flee from him forever. Instead, his hands merely hung in the air, without a purpose and awkward as he struggled to bring forth his desperate reply. "It's just, how can I explain this?" He let one hand drop to his side while the other scratched the back of his head in frustration. "I feel so unworthy, like I don't deserve to have you."

Aqua gave her head a curious tilt, her eyes glowing with humor. "Have me?"

Terra's mouth hung ajar for an instant as he fought the tendency to allow the implications to run away with his imagination and he flustered in a rush to mend his meaning. "To have you with me I mean, to take you away from all of this."

Aqua could tell that he felt strongly about the matter, so she allowed a moment for his feelings to sink in before making her reply. "It isn't a matter of worthiness or what you deserve Terra. I _want_ to go with you, and honestly I could use a break from my students," she said with a weary sigh.

"It's settled then?" he said, extending a hand out to her. "We leave immediately, before either of us change our minds."

"We'll come back soon right?" Aqua questioned, hesitating before touching her hand to his. "I'll miss Ven too much if we're away for too long."

"Yeah, we'll come back," he assured her with a confident nod. "As soon as I come to terms with my past."

As if it were a finality, Aqua placed her hand in his, but suddenly remembered something important. "Oh, Ven!" She turned to run back the way they came, attempting to pull Terra with her but she turned back to see he was rooted where he stood. "We have to say goodbye!" she insisted, almost indignant.

Terra's attention seemed to be elsewhere, distant now, but she couldn't sense anything out of place, just the steady flowing of water all around. He quickly focused on her again and smiled warmly. "You go get him then, I'll stay here."

Aqua nodded, understanding that he didn't want anymore contact with the people here. She released his hand and took a step to leave when a realization bubbled forth in her mind. That distant look in his eyes, surely he wasn't- he couldn't be planning on- "You have to promise me that you won't leave without me!" she demanded abruptly, both a look of suspicion and desperation on her face.

Surprised by her outburst, Terra blinked down at her. The thought of sneaking away without her hadn't even crossed his mind, though he felt even guiltier now than before, should he have plotted something like that? Would that have been a more selfless thing to do? Gazing down at her desperate and hopeful blue eyes, he could think it would have only been a cruelty. He felt a smirk tug at his lips, knowing she would just come looking for him anyway. "Of course I'm not leaving without you."

"You have to promise!" The despair in her voice suddenly made his heart ache, and he could only assume she was getting at something much deeper than the situation at hand.

"_Aqua_," he soothed, cupping her chin with one hand as he spoke in the most sincere voice he could manage, trusting not his memories but his heart to reassure her. "I'm _never_ leaving you behind again."

He had spoken slowly, hoping to emphasize his sincerity. His eyes never wavered from hers for what seemed like minutes and he noted with a mixture of satisfaction and regret that hers had glazed over with the beginnings of tears.

In that instant Terra remembered a handful of fairy-tales from either books or stories and knew that their current interaction aligned with the prince kissing his fair maiden. He could also read her quite well by now and knew she was probably thinking something similar, which led him to predict a sudden disruption on her part. He was thus way ahead of her when she finally blinked away her momentary daze and opened her mouth to protest his lack of a direct answer yet again.

"I _promise_," he finally added, his tone somewhat bothered by the nagging, though the smirk on his face betrayed his true feelings as he gave her chin the slightest chuck.

Aqua's face grew a sudden darker shade and she clenched her teeth in mock anger, her blue eyes shone bright with humor. "You're making fun of me!" she shouted at him, giving his shoulder a halfhearted pound.

"Am I?" Terra crossed his arms indifferently, rightly ignoring her display of retribution. "You'd better hurry off, before I change my mind."

He waited until she was well on her way before he turned to a particular waterfall and scrutinized purposefully. "You should know, some people might take offense to being spied on like that."

Only a scoff came as a reply, but seconds later a large blade pierced and split the cascading water, shielding its wielder as he passed through and stepped out into the open. The man's dark brown hair and blue eyes mirrored Terra's own as he came forward, his unique gun-blade slung over his shoulder casually. "Leon," Terra acknowledged with a tip of his head. "I'll assume you heard everything just now."

"I'll cut to the chase," Leon said, coming forward to stand face to face with Terra. To a stranger, the two of them could have been mistaken as brothers. "I can't say I approve of the situation."

The keybearer decided not to react, instead choosing to remain silent and bide his time. He had never had a problem with Leon since his awakening, but their interaction had been meager to say the least. Terra could only guess that he was dealing with some personal grudge connected to something he had done when Xehanort had been controlling him. Inwardly, Terra shrugged, who was he to judge if Leon couldn't forgive like some of the others, everyone had their own demons to overcome, this was just one more reason why he had to get away and leave for awhile. He scowled at the other man. If he was going to get in between him and his friends then there was going to be a problem.

"We've only just got the ball rolling, and Aqua is our best teacher," Leon continued after the long silence, his tone reflecting only annoyance. "You would take her with you all because you can't stand a little heat?"

"I'm not taking her," Terra countered, a growl beginning deep in his throat as he chose to ignore his other implication. "If she wants to leave, that's her choice."

"Hm, true enough," the gun-bladesman grunted in agreement. "In any rate, she's a very important person to everyone here, keep good track of her will you?"

Terra's mood darkened as he glared at the other man. "I think you're forgetting that Aqua can take care of herself just fine."

"So touchy." Leon raised a brow, shifting his sword a bit. "I didn't say she needed protecting, just be sure to bring her back, we don't need any more tragedies." He turned and crossed back to the waterfall that he had appeared from, only pausing long enough to call over his shoulder. "Be careful out there." Before long his presence had faded completely and Terra knew he was gone.

His timing was impeccable. Within seconds Aqua had returned and Terra hadn't the time to recover from his aggravated state. "Ven will be here soon, he was helping with a support beam and-... Terra? Is something wrong? You look upset."

Closing his eyes and taking another calming breath he focused on the soothing waters all around and felt all the tension fade from his face before regarding her again and making his reply. "No I'm fine," he assured, his lips turned up slightly. "So where to first, got anywhere specific in mind?"

Aqua gave her head a little tilt and raised a finger to her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Actually, I'd like to stop and see a few friends if we could."

Terra crossed his arms, giving her a skeptical look. "More friends? Just how many friends do you have out there?"

"I happened to make a lot of friends on my journey," the woman quipped defensively and wagged a finger at him. "It's not my fault you spent most of your time running into all the villains."

Aqua thought she may have gone too far with that last remark but Terra merely shrugged it off, hands on hips. "I guess you have a point," he admitted jovially. "I'll need to pay extra attention to your diplomatic skills first hand this time."

The ambiance was light between them and Aqua merely hummed with contentment. But as they waited for Ven to show up for a temporary farewell, her mood was hampered again by doubt and she looked back to Terra feeling insecure for the first time in so long. "Are you sure about this Terra?" She took a step closer, needing desperately to feel reassured somehow.

"So indecisive," Terra cooed at her, once again cupping her chin with one hand.

"It's just that..," Aqua brought her hand up to his and pulled it down, twining her fingers with his. "The last time we left for other worlds..."

"Aqua," he silenced, bringing his forehead down to touch hers. "I won't let anything happen this time."

They remained that way for a long moment, their different shades of blue linked and seeming to share in the memory of their countless years of suffering, both of their experiences very different yet parallel in that they had both been prisoners of the same tragedy.

Aqua's throat began to constrict unpleasantly as deep seated emotions were threatening to overflow and overwhelm her. Seeing his own pain reflecting down into her, she knew that he understood her insecurities but nonetheless he would not back down from his decision. He had to leave this place, everything about it was suffocating him.

And she had resolved to herself long ago that she would no longer try to hold him back. "In that case," came her belated reply. "I'm ready." With their foreheads still touching she reached up to grasp at the dark locks near the back of his neck, giving him a physical confirmation that she was in no way about ready to back out from her decision.

Something shifted in his dark pools, his arms instinctively encircling her and for an instant Aqua wondered if he had been about to kiss her. Alas if the moment had been there it was quickly dashed by Ven's untimely entrance. "Sorry it took me so long guys," he apologized sheepishly when he rushed around a building, slowing his pace exponentially when he noted their intimate position. "Oh...uh..." His body language signifying how much he wished he could be somewhere else at that particular moment in time. "My bad...heh."

Since Terra seemed utterly frozen with embarrassment by Ven's appearance, Aqua turned to the boy and smiled, stepping out of Terra's reach in the process. "Hey Ven, we were just about to leave."

Ven merely chuckled, eying the both of them slyly. "Yeah I bet you were," he jeered and added silently. _About to leave without saying goodbye! _"Don't worry about little old Ven here, he'll get by without you two lovebirds just fine!" The words would have been scathing if the blond didn't have that ridiculous grin plastered on his face.

Aqua could only cover her face with one hand, both out of embarrassment and frustration as she already foreseen what would take place next.

"Hey Ven!" Terra barked, fighting off the heat curling up his neck. "C'mere!" He launched himself at the boy with astonishing speed and Ven yelped with surprise when he tried to flee to no avail. Terra had him pinned to the ground and proceeded in tickling him mercilessly until the boy was laughing with hysteria. "Take it back Ven!" the dark haired man demanded with a rare humor.

Aqua merely crossed her arms and smiled fondly at her boys, wishing silently that they could stay like this forever. Another gust of wailing laughter erupted and Aqua flinched. Well, minus the torture anyway.

Finally, when Ven ran short of breath and could take no more, "ok!" he gasped and Terra halted momentarily to hear his appeal. "I take it back, I'll miss you ok?"

Triumphant, Terra relented and stood, helping his gasping friend to stand as well. "I knew you'd see things my way."

Ven glared. If looks could kill. He moved over to give Aqua a hug, muttering, "you had better avenge me for that later."

Aqua chuckled and returned his embrace, unknowingly tightening her hold over the course of their moment. "I'll miss you Ven," she nearly cried, but managed to keep her voice in check. She refused to allow any dark thoughts of doubt surface that she may never see him again. "We'll come back soon."

"Can't breathe," Ven wheezed. It seemed that both his friends were out to suffocate him today. With friends like these...

"Sorry Ven!" she released him immediately and stroked his bangs back in order to lean in and kiss his forehead tenderly.

Ven felt her overwhelming affection roll off like a wave and he was overcome by a sudden sadness that he hadn't known existed. "I'll miss you both," he admitted mournfully and leaned back into her to hide his contorted face. He had been unaware when Terra approached but soon felt his arms encircle them. The three of them simply stood there, holding each other in what was more than likely an over-dramatized event.

When the tense moment had passed and the three managed to collect themselves, Terra smirked and ruffled Ven's wild blond hair affectionately. "Aqua's right Ven," he paused long enough to share a nod of assurance with her. "We'll be back before you know it."


	3. Trust

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

**Awakening**

_AN: So, to avoid confusion, the italics portion of each chapter is a flashback of Terra remembering various things.  
_

**Chapter Three – Trust**

* * *

"_I'm not so sure I can explain that one," Aqua admitted with a contemplative tilt of her head. "It might be easier to use a demonstration." Getting up from their usual bench she beckoned him to follow with one hand._

_Terra followed without a word, his dark eyes curious as they neared the edge of one of the waterfalls._

_Aqua peered over the edge, seeming to inspect the height. "Well, this should do."_

"_Huh?" Terra was thoroughly confused, even more so when she turned to face him, taking his left hand in her right, her back to the sheer drop behind her._

"_Don't let go," she told him, a flash of humor in her crystalline eyes as he obediently grasped her arm in turn. Not a second later she stepped off the edge, leaning over precariously with only Terra's firm hold keeping her from certain tragedy._

"_Aqua!" Terra barked, pulling her to him in something of a panic."Why would you do that?"_

_Aqua laughed as though she were mad. "Because I **trust** you, silly." With my life, she added silently and absently turned to watch the water continue to fall over the edge with or without her._

_After the shock had passed, Terra eyed her mischievously. "Oh do you now?"_

* * *

Songbirds were chirping all around, voicing their melody to the woodland about the sunshine and blue sky. A meadow with endless flowers of various colors opened up all around, a deep, dark forest lining up on its boundaries.

Aqua stood at the center of the meadow and dismissed her armor in order to take in the sights and sounds. The place was familiar to her and she honed in on the tiny stream that wormed its way into the woods, a well-worn path ran along its edge. She knew it would lead her to some short, lively, yet quite lovable friends. She didn't bother to hinder the smile that so easily came over her. She gave her companion a sidelong glance as he landed and promptly dismissed his own armor. "Well you were sure in a hurry to land," Terra commented dryly as he drew beside her, hands on hips as he scanned the area. "Got a boyfriend I don't know about around here?"

Aqua gasped as the question involuntarily provoked a vision of a certain spiky haired swordsman in her mind. A sudden defensive anger boiled up in her and she rounded on him a little too quickly, she realized afterward. "Of course not!"

Terra had been caught off guard, taking a step back, wide-eyed and blinking he waved his hands in apology. "Hey, whoa, sorry!"

Coming to her senses, the blue-haired woman sighed, grasped one of her arms at the elbow and hung her head in shame. "No, I'm sorry."

Terra cocked his head to one side with a mischievous look catching in his eyes. An aggressive curiosity overcame him, though he was slightly apprehensive to pursue it due to her most recent outrage. In the end, he simply couldn't help himself when Aqua started for the forest and he drew beside her, leaning forward to see her face. "So, you gonna tell me what that was back there?"

Aqua's forehead twitched irritably but she managed to keep her defenses reined in this time. "There was a certain... incident on another world," she paused to give him a nervous glance. "The one with the coliseum."

Terra looked up, thoughtful for a moment. "Oh yeah, I met a guy named Zack there."

Aqua thought she felt her whole body twitch this time, but really, only her mouth was pulling disobediently. "Ye-yeah, that's the one." He _would_ remember the _one_ person on that world that had caused her such embarrassment moments before.

A long moment passed and Terra waited patiently for her to continue as they walked on through the woods, the birds still singing happily overhead while the stream trickled steadily at their feet. Finally he could wait no longer and leaned in close so as to hinder her progress forward. "Well?" he asked expectantly, like a child that waited for a reward for good behavior. "Continue?"

Halting mid-step, Aqua crossed her arms and made a face. "No," was her miffed answer as she first shot him a glare and switched her head away from him. Terra could only gawk at her in surprise. It was the most childish response that she had ever demonstrated in front of him, and he honestly didn't know what to make of it.

That evil mischief returned and he placed both hands on his hips arrogantly. "No?" Her head shifted but she didn't spare him a glance as he came ever closer. "_No_, she says."

The woman eyed him from the side through slits of blue ice. "Don't try it," she warned dangerously. "I'm not so ticklish as Ven."

Aqua didn't realize she was so close to a large oak tree until Terra had backed her up into it, her heart pounding in her chest as she noted in a panic that her bluff wasn't working. "Who ever said _anything_ about tickling?" he replied darkly, his eyes holding a predator's glint as he placed one hand on the trunk by her head. His other limb resting on his hip as though contemplating what to do with her now that he had her cornered.

He didn't get the chance to decide, as a rustling, coupled with tiny footsteps drew his attention to the side. "Aqua?" a small voice called out timidly. "Is that you Aqua?"

The two snapped their attention over to a slight figure emerging from the brush, locks of ebony, skin as white as- "Snow?" Aqua greeted, thankful for the interruption as she eyed Terra slyly and used the timely distraction to duck out of his blockade to approach the princess with a grateful smile. "How are you doing?" she looked around briefly, noting something important was missing. "Where's the prince?"

Momentarily annoyed, Terra moved to follow, though he kept a comfortable distance from the princess, since their last meeting hadn't gone over so well. Although it was the unversed she had fled from and not him. Still, better safe than sorry. The last thing he wanted was to ruin any of Aqua's reunions.

Snow smiled at the question, absently shifting the basket of flowers in her hands. "He had some business to tend to back in his kingdom, and I missed my friends, so I decided to stay with them until he returns."

Aqua nodded in understanding, hands clasped behind her back as she took another curious look around. "Where are the little guys?"

"Oh!" exclaimed the timid young woman as though she had just remembered something. "They must be heading home from work right now and I haven't got a thing prepared for dinner!"

For something so trivial, she seemed quite distraught, and Aqua could only smile at her in amusement. "Come on then, I'll help you fix something."

"That would be wonderful!" Snow smiled back in delight as Aqua moved to guide her down the path. Only then did the young maiden notice Terra's presence in the background. "Oh! I know you."

Absently, Aqua wondered how it was even remotely possible that their former intimate position had been overlooked for her to not notice him until now, but she quickly focused on the conversation as she turned to Terra with a mild curiosity. "You met Snow White before?"

"Well, sort of," he answered, hand behind his head sheepishly. "Some unversed cut our introductions short." Suddenly remembering his manners, he gave a slight bow. "I'm Terra."

"It's nice to finally meet you Terra," Snow giggled and she started skipping down the path again. "Come along, I'll introduce you to my friends!"

Terra and Aqua simply stood and stared after the carefree maiden for a moment. "I think she forgot about dinner again." Aqua blinked.

Terra smirked, leaning to one side, hand on hip. "I wonder if this prince of hers really did have business elsewhere, or-?"

"That's mean!" Aqua smacked his shoulder, though she couldn't resist the crooked smile from appearing. "She might be a bit of an airhead but she's a good person!"

"Yes," Terra agreed. The humor seemed to have passed and he crossed his arms. "A pure heart, full of light."

Aqua merely nodded solemnly and the two followed after her at a slower pace.

It didn't take them long until they reached the glade with a homely looking cottage nestled against the tree line. Snow was kneeling down among seven happy dwarfs, kissing their bald heads affectionately one at a time. It seemed it was a ritual to be repeated multiple times throughout the day. Standing and clasping her hands together she regarded them all with a warm authority. "Now all of you get cleaned up for dinner, we have guests!"

In that instant, seven heads turned in unison to watch the couple approach. "It's Aqua!" Happy exclaimed, well, happily.

Much to Terra's dismay, the herd of little people was suddenly stampeding towards them. Apparently, they didn't get many visitors. He knew he shouldn't have been, but nonetheless he was surprised to see how easily Aqua found it to accept them so warmly, bending down to their level and touching their heads in greeting. "Hello everyone, how have you all been?"

Standing back and watching her interactions, Terra was suddenly struck by a wave of affection for his blue haired companion. The love in her heart not reserved to any one circle, but generously spread to everyone she met. It was like she had some sort of invisible connection to everything pure. And the way she treated these dwarfs reminded him, oddly enough of her students back home, although they very much reminded him of children, how could they not? They were so short- "Aqua, who is that?"

His presence had apparently been detected. Curses. He had been so vigilant to remain in the background. "Oh." Aqua stood and grabbed his hand to pull him closer. "This is Terra, he's my fr-"

"He looks like trouble!" Grumpy growled, scrutinizing the dark haired man with a critical eye.

Aqua's eyes went wide by the claim and she turned to see the man take a step back, a deep frown shading his face. "Terra," she called and moved to grasp his wrist to halt his retreat as a squabble suddenly erupted among the dwarfs.

"Grumpy!" Snow came forward to chastise. "That's no way to treat a guest"

"I'm telling you, he's nothing but trouble! Look at him, all dark and mysterious, nothing like your good prince!" More arguments ensued.

"Don't go Terra," Aqua pleaded when she felt his arm begin to pull away.

He gave her a weak smile and placed his other hand on hers. "Don't worry, I won't go far. You stay and enjoy yourself." His tone was gentle and sincere, demonstrating that he honestly didn't want to ruin her visit.

He pulled out of her hold and with seconds was fading into the darkness of the woods. Aqua turned a sad smile to the others, but, ever the peacekeeper she wasn't about to leave on bad terms. "It's been great to see you all again, but Terra's a dear friend of mine and I can't allow him to be alone in this state." She then turned to follow her brooding companion before anyone could reply and shot over her shoulder, "I'll see you all again soon!"

The herd of dwarfs were left in silence, and everyone turned to glare at the offender, none of them saying a word for a long moment. "Now look what you've done," Doc grumbled at Grumpy. "That was Aqua's boyfriend and you went and chased him off!"

"Well I-I," Grumpy stuttered, his face turning red with shame.

"Maybe you should go and apologize," Happy suggested.

"That's a great idea," Snow White agreed, bending down and touching Grumpy's head fondly. "Go bring them back and I'll make us all a nice hot stew for dinner."

Grumpy groaned and shuffled his feet, not appearing to be about to obey until Doc patted his back encouragingly. "I'll go with you, we'll get this straightened out." Grumpy nodded and they headed off after the two keybearers.

* * *

It was astonishing how fast he could travel when he wanted to get away from something, Aqua noted as she ran to catch up. "Terra, hold on a second."

He regarded her placidly, neither surprised nor offended that she hadn't listened to him. "Go back Aqua, I told you, I'll be fine."

"If they can't accept you, then they reject me as well," she told him earnestly. "I came with you to enjoy an adventure _together_. Being alone on my first journey, it was just so lonely at times, so _sad_. I want this time to be different."

Well he couldn't argue with that. With a sigh of defeat he made a waving gesture. "What now then, on to the next world?"

Before Aqua could reply, there was a howling from the path they came from, which soon turned into a holler as two small figures appeared from the trees.

"It's Doc and Grumpy," Aqua told him before they were within earshot.

"You can tell them apart?" That earned him another smack on the shoulder.

"What's wrong guys?" Ignoring her friend, Aqua bent down somewhat as the dwarfs came near, both of them panting and exhausted.

"Gr-grumpy," Doc puffed, "has somethin' to say."

After given a moment to catch his breath, Grumpy stared up at Terra, managing to keep all but his usual scowl from his face. "I'm sorry for what I said before." As if that was all he intended to say, he turned about, ready to go back when Doc nudged him and cleared his throat expressively. Grumpy groaned but turned back to explain himself further. "It's just, Aqua helped us when Snow White was in trouble, and I guess I overreacted when I thought you were a threat."

"Oh I'm still a threat," Terra assured, stepping close to Aqua and leaning closer with a sly smile.

"In your mind maybe," Aqua quipped and rolled her eyes, giving him a playful shove, to which he merely hummed in reply.

If the dwarfs noticed their exchange they didn't show it. "So it's settled then?" Doc said. "You'll stay for dinner?"

"Oh, well," Aqua hesitated, looking to Terra expectantly. She wanted to stay, but not at his expense.

Catching her hopeful gaze, Terra found he couldn't compete and caved in. "Fine, but only if it doesn't cause problems."

"No problems," Doc assured, giving Grumpy a pointed look before heading on back down the path. "Let's go, it's time to eat!"

Once the dwarfs had pulled ahead and out of earshot, Terra leaned closer once again and repeated, "I still don't see how you tell them apart."

With a wry smile Aqua resisted the urge to swipe at him again, and oddly enough felt a sudden contentment that he was there, right beside her in that moment. A familiar warmth overflowed in her heart and she was unaware when it had spread to her expression.

"What's with that face?" Terra prodded at her cheek with a finger.

"What?" Her face turned a sudden pink and her gaze skittered back and forth from him. "I'm just really happy your here with me this time."

Terra rolled his eyes and moved ahead of her, calling over his shoulder as he went, "oy, sometimes you are such a girl."

"Hey, what do you mean, "sometimes"?"

* * *

The evening came and went without incident. Terra not sharing much in the conversations or laughter, but merely watched and enjoyed the brilliant shine in Aqua's eyes, basking in her radiance as she shared stories of her adventures with her friends.

When darkness fell and the two opted to stay the night before heading out again, Aqua had been offered the spare bed in Snow's room, while poor Terra had to bunk on the floor among the snoring dwarfs.

He couldn't blame his sleeplessness all on the noise though. He felt restless, and he stepped outside to get some air. Feeling trapped under the canopy of trees, he felt the need to see the stars and leaped up to the largest tree nearby, climbing until the clear night sky was visible.

After finding a suitable nook in the boughs to recline, he took a deep breath and exhaled the pent up tension from the day, listening to the the soothing sound of crickets in the background.

He was so relaxed that he nearly lunged straight forward and out of the tree when Aqua lithely perched herself right beside him. "And just where were you off to?"

"I wasn't going anywhere," Terra assured her, composing himself and returning to his spot. "I told you, I'm not leaving you behind, and I meant it."

"I know," Aqua replied softly without missing a beat. "Because I trust you." She moved to join him in his nest, waiting for him to raise an arm of admittance before settling in beside him. "I couldn't sleep either."

He wrapped said arm around her middle comfortably, savoring the scent of her hair and the warmth of her presence. "The snoring too loud for you too?"

"Was too far," her voice faded to a murmur, her eyes lolling and already dozing as she nestled more comfortably into his shoulder. "From the stars."

Stifling an amused chuckle, he ran his other hand through her hair affectionately, earning him a halfhearted swat, though Aqua missed and didn't open her tired eyes to pursue the offense. She just grumbled at him incoherently and shifted back towards sleep.

Watching her peaceful form, Terra found himself wondering how in the worlds he ever deserved to have such an amazing person by his side.

* * *

_AN: So t__here is a picture I found on deviantArt that matches a scene in this chapter. Just go to my profile and I have a link for it under my **Link** section._


	4. Friends

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

**Awakening**

_AN: This chapter is my treasure. I worked really hard on it. So I really hope you guys enjoy it, I put a lot of thought and feeling into it.  
A song called "Save Yourself" by My Darkest Days inspired the flashback._

**Chapter Four – Friends  
**

* * *

_Cold. Empty. Silent. The chamber where he sat seemed to reflect his body; where he felt no warmth in his blood, nor marrow in his bones, and no voice of a soul. _

_Yet again the Chamber of Repose had called to him, and yet again he had responded. A part of him was always drawn to that one source of warmth, that one significant voice. Everything he was not. And yet, that same part of his being wished he wasn't drawn to it, as if protectively trying to shield the source of the voice from his own darkness. _

_Truly, he was a Nobody, so full of contradictions._

_Xemnas grew aggravated as he sat on his throne, connected to the armor before him but unable to sound his usual greeting, the strange protective shield holding him at bay._

"_Back again, my friend?" Xemnas looked up, curious, as the female voice had never instigated their conversations before._

_Her voice had seemed to trigger something deep inside of him and instead of fighting against that protective barrier to speak, he now struggled to keep the words from spilling out. "Why didn't you save yourself?" Although he uttered the words, he couldn't understand the meaning behind them. The exchange intrigued him and he allowed that inner part of his being to converse freely. "You could have avoided your suffering so easily."_

"_The sorrow I feel now is nothing compared to my guilt for failing you."_

_Xemnas scowled, though he wasn't sure why. "Those were my choices. Mine alone."_

"_Because you never let me help you."_

"_You would have only shared in my failure."_

"_You don't know that."_

"_You couldn't have changed me, my sickness was my own undoing."_

"_I still don't believe you're beyond saving."_

"_Only you would believe that, my friend."_

* * *

Terra woke up with a gasp, blurry eyes wild as he surveyed his surroundings. Aqua lay beside him, head nestled on his chest and sleeping soundly with a steady breathing.

Placing a hand to his head, he closed his eyes, wondering if it had all been a dream or a memory. Perhaps it was both? In the end he decided it didn't matter. If it _was_ a memory then it was in the past, and the past was unchanging.

He noted groggily that they were still in the tree from the night before, and he felt stiff and sore. It seemed that a tree did not serve as the most comfortable of beds.

He must have been unintentionally squirming with discomfort, for Aqua was beginning to stir. His disturbing dream forgotten, he smiled affectionately as he watched her eyes flutter open, her mind easing into wakefulness. "Hey."

Aqua focused on his face, blinked and smiled. "Hey."

The birds were singing their praises to the rising sun along with all manner of forest life as Aqua quickly realized where she was. It took her longer than it should have to piece together what had transpired the night before. She suddenly felt her entire face burn furiously. She had only meant to rest her eyes for a moment, not fall asleep, with him, in a tree, alone, for the entire night!

"Sleep well?" Terra questioned, noting her fluster and choosing to address it with his own twisted humor. She seemed to have been rendered speechless as she stood up in haste, as though getting away from him as quickly as possible would remedy her embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm never sleeping in a tree again, I feel terrible, not to mention it gave me a lousy dream," he grumbled as he stood up as well, stretching his arms and back and thinking about kicking the trunk for such horrible service.

Stepping over to her by the edge of the bough he leaned in, trying to catch her eye, but she wouldn't have it, her blue bangs shading her red face. "So? Where to next?"

"I-I don't know," she replied in a frazzle. "You choose, it's your turn to pick."

"Hm." Terra stepped back, wondering how long she would keep up with this coy act. He shrugged, didn't matter, that just meant he could keep teasing her. More fun for him. "Alright then." And he knew exactly where to start. "Olympus Coliseum."

"Huh?" Surely he couldn't mean-

"My choice, for our next world."

He did.

Aqua turned and stared at him, unblinking. "You're joking."

"Nope." As if proving his point he tapped his pauldron, summoning his armor and glider. "I've got a friend to visit, besides, I owe him a rematch."

Aqua gaped at the red-gold suit of armor in front of her. This friend of his might not_ stay_ his friend after said visit, but what could she do? She had told him it was his choice, and she imagined they would end up going there sooner or later... Although this was much sooner than she had expected. Sighing in resignation, she was about to summon her own glider when she suddenly remembered something. "I have to say goodbye to them."

The armor turned to her, waiting on his glider patiently. "Well, hurry up, before I leave without you."

She glared at him, knowing he was joking and throwing her own quip at him. "I'm tempted to let you!"

* * *

The Coliseum appeared looming and grand as they made their way through the main gate. Aqua looked around, trying to find a difference in the scenery, but everything was as she remembered, the place unchanged by the countless years since her last visit. Save for one thing, and she glanced to the man walking beside her. "I can't be held responsible for what happens here."

"What has you so worked up?" Terra questioned through a playful smirk. "Oh wait," he paused, holding up an index finger in thought. "You won't tell me, so I'll just have to find out myself."

"You can be so- So obnoxious sometimes!" she growled, arms crossed in a pout. She didn't think she ever felt like throttling him more than right then.

Terra's wry smile remained, though he said nothing in reply, allowing her to sulk in peace as they approached the imposing double doors of the vestibule. It seemed odd, he thought absently, that they hadn't run into anyone yet. Sure they had passed various crowds of people, but no one had noticed them, to which he was eternally grateful for. He shuddered involuntarily at the memory of countless fans, closing in and smothering him with praise after he had won the games so long ago. Thankfully, no one had recognized him yet and they were able to make quick progress toward the building.

Upon entering the small chamber they noticed it was all but empty, save for one familiar person. Aqua froze beside him and he noted her gasp with an intent curiosity.

Aqua cursed her fate, feeling like someone was plotting against her. The first person they ran into _would_ be _him_. Typical.

"Hey Zack!" Terra called to his friend, seeming to ignore his companion's discomfort.

The energetic teen turned to them, a grin flashing across his face. Much like the Coliseum, Zack hadn't changed much, even though many years must have lapsed, he didn't appear much older, although he did seem a bit taller, his black, spiky hair a little longer.

"Terra! And Aqua!" Zack exclaimed, nearly leaping to greet them in his excitement. "I can't believe it, you came to visit!"

"Yeah," Terra replied, reaching out to share in a hand shake at the arm in greeting. "Hey, you a hero yet?"

"Not quite," Zack said, scratching his head sheepishly, though his eyes suddenly lit up. "I'm even closer now that you're here!"

"Huh?" Terra didn't quite know what to make of the claim while Zack's attention was quickly averted to the female presence in the room, who, Terra noted curiously, was trying her best to stay hidden behind him. It was almost a laughable turn-about, since he had been trying to do the same with her friends in the last world.

"Aqua!" Zack addressed fervently, moving to get a better look at her. "It's great to see you again."

"H-Hi Zack," Aqua sputtered, unable to meet his eyes directly, cringing as she knew exactly what was coming.

"So!" Zack started, jumping right to business. "About that date we talked about."

She cringed again, also anticipating Terra's reaction. "What date?" His tone wasn't pointed or raised, but more of a mild curiosity.

Zack turned to the brunette, hand gesturing expressively. "We agreed that if I became a hero, we would go on a date together."

Terra blinked at him. The teen obviously didn't realize the dangerous waters he was treading. There was an uncomfortable moment of silence and Terra shifted his gaze to the woman in question. It had never occurred to him that Aqua could have had an interest in another male in the past. And he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about her trying to keep it a secret. Although she had every right to, since they had never claimed each other outright; for so long it had seemed like an unspoken reality.

Apparently there was a need for some clarification.

"Zack," Aqua whined, eying Terra from the side. "I told you, I couldn't make any promises."

"But Terra's here now," Zack countered, not to be deterred. "Once I defeat him in a rematch, I'll take the title as hero!"

"Aqua," Terra called and turned to her fully, his reverie broken. "What's this about?"

"W-well, you see..." Aqua was at a loss, the situation overwhelming her. This was exactly why she didn't want to visit this world, although Zack was a friend, she didn't like being the center of attention, or in this case, the center of a fight. "I-I." When she found no more words to explain herself, her eyes skittered away, unable to meet the question in Terra's gaze as if she had betrayed him somehow.

Terra raised a hand to her chin, gently easing her to look at him. "Just tell me already." Unaware of how intimate the gesture must have seemed, he was not expecting Zack's reaction.

"Wait a second!" Zack cried out, incredulous. "Are you two- You're not- Are you?" He couldn't bear to say it, his eyes skipping between them, hoping for an explanation.

Aqua was reduced to a stuttering fit, no longer able to bring anything coherent to the matter. And Terra could only stare at the teen, as if frozen and unable to decide on a course of action.

"You are!" Zack accused, still unable to voice the specifics. He brooded for a moment, hand to chin in deep thought.

Seeming satisfied with the results of his actions, Terra released his hold on Aqua and the two simply watched Zack in silence, neither of them expecting his suggestion.

"A rematch then," he finally announced, leaning forward eagerly. "And the winner gets a date with Aqua."

"What?" Aqua quaked, face growing hot with embarrassment. "Don't I have a say in this?"

"She's right," Terra replied. "She isn't a prize to be won."

"Argh!" Zack growled in frustration, scratching his head with both hands crazily before shaking a fist around expressively. "Come on Terra! Give a guy a chance!"

Terra's eyes narrowed to tiny slits. "I see no reason to."

"So cruel!"

"Ugh," Aqua groaned, rubbing her forehead as though the argument had caused a headache. "He won't give up you know. You may as well just get it over with."

"Huh?" The brunette nearly fell over. "Why should I?"

"Just give him his rematch. I didn't exactly promise him a date, but he does deserve a rematch with you." She crossed her arms and sent him a sly smile. "Unless you think you'll _lose_."

Terra aimed a pointed finger at her and opened his mouth to argue, but no words came to him and he scoffed before turning away. She was a clever one, he'd give her that, but oh was she going to regret it later. He sized Zack up with his aggravated gaze, and the teen seemed to jump from the hostility in his eyes. "Looks like we have a rematch." He stepped forward and reached out his right hand to shake on it, a little too firmly to be considered sport.

"Ah yeah!" Zack howled with delight, crouched and leaped for the door. "The match is in one hour, so be ready to lose!"

Terra watched him leave without a word, and crossed back to Aqua with slow, deliberate steps. The look in his dark blue eyes was unreadable and foggy, as if something was just barely held back. Aqua couldn't place it, but quickly dismissed it as he approached. "You had better win, I've got a lot riding on this one," she said, a humor in her tone as she was caught completely off guard when that familiar predator flashed across his expression.

As soon as the door down the hall creaked shut, Terra was upon her, pinning her against the wall with both arms braced on either side of her shoulders to block her escape. He obviously meant business this time, as he said nothing for a long instance.

Aqua too, said nothing, her voice hitched in her throat as their faces were only inches apart. She could only wait for him to break the sudden silence.

"What are we?"

"Huh?" What had gotten into him? And what was he getting at? "I don't quite- Terra, what's wrong?"

His eyes were so intense, so full of emotion. It made him seem so unpredictable. And that made her heart race more than anything else in the situation.

"_Aqua_," he drawled, as though speaking to a child. "What _are _we to each other?"

Aqua's expression flashed with realization, brows furrowed. "Terra-"

"I need to know," he cut her off, halting her interjection before she began, his blue eyes ablaze with emotion. "Before I go out there and "fight for you"."

"Why?" Aqua chuckled lightly, eyes dancing with amusement and finding it hard to take him serious. "You said yourself that I'm not a prize to be won."

"I never said you weren't a prize." He flashed her a devilish smile, leaving the implications to her imagination. _But that you needn't be won._

"Good sir," Aqua began in a mock serious tone. "Are you implying you've already won my affections?"

He ignored her question, _his_ tone turning serious. "You still haven't answered me."

Brows still furrowed, Aqua found that she could no longer look at him, averting her eyes to his hair or his shoulder, anywhere that was not his face before murmuring honestly, "I don't know anymore."

"Not just friends," he assured her, at least from his standpoint. "We both know that." When she didn't respond immediately his impatience drew tight and coiled, his fingers scraping into fists against the wall he was braced upon. "_What are we_, Aqua?"

"I don't know!" was her sudden, emotional explosion, which caused him to flinch back a bit. "I've just been so happy being able to spend time with you!" Normally she would have been able to keep such an outburst reigned in, but he had literally backed her up into a corner. "And now you want to go and complicate things?"

"_I'm _trying to complicate things?" Terra asked incredulously. His tone had risen to an unpleasant level, to which Aqua was beginning to feel somewhat threatened, not to mention still trapped.

"I'm just trying to simplify it, to know where we stand and-" he paused, his voice calming as if sensing her discomfort, his eyes drawn to her lips. "And how far I can go."

Before the heated situation could escalate any further, the two double doors nearby creaked open and, although neither of them moved from their questionable positions, they both looked to see two figures walk into view. One, Terra recognized as Hercules, though he was much more muscular and just plain _bigger_, while the other was a puny being of unknown species.

"Whoa-ho-ho there buddy, this is hardly the place to be puttin' the moves on miss sweetcheeks don't ya think?" the little goat-man denounced, coming forward and gesturing with his fists.

"Who are you?" Terra asked, not moving from his position even though Aqua was squirming to be free. He wasn't about to drop such an important matter for such a diminutive... creature? What was he anyway?

"The name's Phil, but don't worry, I already know all about you, _Terra_," the goat-man replied snidely.

"Phil," Hercules came up beside him. "Maybe now's not the best time-"

"Quiet kid," Phil waved him off. "I'll take care of this bully."

"Bully?" Terra repeated, flabbergasted. Is that really how he looked at the moment? He turned back to Aqua and she could only snigger at his expense. Fighting the urge to growl in annoyance he finally gave in to the disruption, stepping back and granting Aqua her freedom again. But not before whispering into her ear, "We'll settle this later." To which caused another wave of heat to glow brightly on Aqua's face.

"Alright, alright, break it up already," Phil fussed, pushing his way between them, although Terra had already stepped back. "Back off Romeo, before I decide to get violent." The satyr shook his fist at the male keybearer for good measure before turning around to comfort the flustered Aqua.

"Sorry about Phil," Herc mended to Terra, ashamed as he reached out a hand in greeting. "He gets really uptight when there's a woman involved."

"No worries," Terra replied, accepting the handshake. "I need to prepare for my match anyway."

"You've got a match?" Hercules was instantly more interested. "With who? Is it Zack?"

Terra nodded and Phil's ears seemed to perk up as he switched his attention to the boys. "What's that? A match?" He clapped his hands together excitedly. "That's great! Everyone's been getting antsy ever since the games got put on hold."

"That's my fault, Phil's been distracted, helping me with my training," Herc admitted bashfully but quickly rounded on the matter. "But you're match, when is it?"

"Less than an hour," Terra answered automatically. His mind wasn't really focused on the conversation, his eyes often drifting to Aqua, who was fidgeting uncomfortably across from him. He had to decide on a method to settle their delicate predicament.

"An hour!?" Phil cried, throwing up his hands in a frenzy. "C'mon Herc, we gotta put the word out, this match could prove to be a real firecracker!" Launching himself for the exit, the satyr paused only long enough to turn and shout back, "and Romeo, don't get anymore ideas about harassing the lady!" Hercules followed obediently, sending back a look of apology to the couple.

Aqua met his gaze and he gave her a long, meaningful look before making his way to the doorway, the direction Zack had run off. "Terra, hold on-" she started and reached out to him but was promptly cut off.

"We can talk later." He hesitated by the doorway, head turned slightly but not looking at her. "I've got a match to focus on and I can't be distracted."

Aqua's eyes dropped, along with her outstretched hand. He was shutting her out again, not unlike times passed. Why did it always have to be all or nothing with him? A familiar, cold loneliness clawed at her heart as he passed through the doorway without another word.

* * *

Sword and Keyblade clashed with a fierce impact as the duel drew to a close. The match had been intense, even more desperate than in the past, but the outcome was the same. With the final blow, Zack dropped to the ground, keyblade aimed at his throat.

Terra stood, victorious and somewhat breathless from exertion. Zack had improved beyond his expectations, and he had almost underestimated him once or twice, resulting in his nigh defeat.

"Argh!" Zack howled in frustration, pounding a fist on the ground. "I almost had you that time!"

"You're fast Zack," Terra observed, keyblade vanishing in a flash of light as he held out his hand to help the teen up. "Like Ven, if you utilize it correctly, you could defeat almost anyone."

Zack laughed and accepted the help. "Even you?"

Terra pinned him with an arrogant smirk as they crossed to the exit, the cheers of the crowd nearly overwhelming his reply. "Don't bet on it."

They met the others in the vestibule, though Aqua was keeping her distance. "Congratulations!" Hercules exclaimed, his arms held out expressively. "You guys both did great out there, the crowd loved it!"

"Yeah but I lost _again_!" Zack whined pathetically, hands behind his head in a pout. "That means I lost the bet too."

"Bet?" Phil queried with an odd expression. "What bet?"

Terra tried to catch Aqua's eye but she was acting so distant all of a sudden. Had he been too short with her before? He hadn't meant to be, but he realized with a frown that she wouldn't be acting this way otherwise. Taking a deep breath, he decided now would as good a time as any to rectify the matter he had worried over for the past hour, even during the match, when he was supposed to have been focused on fighting.

"Aqua," Terra beckoned, a dark authority lining his tone.

The blue haired woman looked up at the sound of her name, eyes clouded with insecurities, which was something so unlike her personality. Proud, confident, brave, yet she demonstrated none of those attributes now as she approached him obediently, meeting his gaze timidly. "Terra, I'm sorry-"

"No," Terra hushed her with a finger to her mouth. "_I'm_ sorry, for expecting you to admit something that should only be demonstrated."

Aqua's expression was one of confusion as his hand moved to prop her chin up, but his words finally clicked in her mind and realization kicked in as he leaned down. He was giving her a chance to back out if she wanted, not forcing anything on her. Nonetheless, she found she couldn't move, his words and actions leaving her in a trance, his lips finally meeting hers in a tender kiss. Their audience anything but forgotten, Aqua hesitated in reciprocating but eventually matched the pressure he exerted with her own and reached up with one hand to run her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck.

Phil moved to roll up sleeves that weren't there and charge in to disrupt them, but Hercules intervened, holding the furious satyr at bay. While Zack whooped and whistled, seeming to rebound from his loss in record time.

The tender moment hadn't lasted very long when a puff of blue smoke exploded nearby, and the couple was forced out of their interchange to regard a familiar pain in the neck.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? The little bluebird and her moody chickenheart. A perfect match!"

"Hades!" The whole room seemed to echo his name as everyone chorused at once.

"Yep," the dark god confirmed without missing a beat. "That's me, glad everyone knows it. Now, back to business." He proceeded to circle the couple, the way a predator might circle its prey.

"Scram Hades," Terra growled, Earthshaker appearing in one hand while the other pulled Aqua closer, his guarded eyes tracking the dark lord's every move.

"Oh stop your growling," Hades chided with a flick of a wrist. "I didn't show up to steal your precious bluebird, though I'd like to, since she dealt me a rather uncouth defeat way back when."

Aqua merely sneered at him, defiance sparking in her blue eyes. The god smiled wickedly in return, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look at that face! Such a gem, really."

"What are you after Hades?" Zack piped in from behind, causing the dark lord to roll his eyes with annoyance.

"After?" Hades repeated, feigning a look of pain and turning on the swordsman. "Why must people always assume I'm after something? By the way, have you shrunk?" Not waiting for an answer he cast Terra and Aqua a devilish look. "Maybe I'm just here to congratulate the happy couple. Honest, I've never been this choked up since," he paused, turning his conniving gaze to Hercules. "Well since that chunk of moussaka got caught in my throat!"

His audience was silent, and the god deflated momentarily. "Such a lively crowd, reminds me of home."

"Hades!" Hercules boomed, drawing the dark lord's attention with a raised brow. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, of course," Hades replied, as if just then remembering the purpose of his visit. He waved a hand at the keybearers. "I didn't actually come here to ruin_ your_ little romance." With a cryptic chuckle he turned back to Hercules. "Better watch your back Herc, I've got plans." And with that, the dark lord was gone in the same puff of smoke he had appeared in.

They were all silent for a moment, the dark foreboding seeming to seep into every crack in the room.

"Hercules," Aqua worried. "What does he mean?"

"I-I'm not sure," the demi-god replied, his serious tone darkened and bothered.

"Aww, why are we letting that gloomy god get us down? We should celebrate Terra's victory!" Zack shouted excitedly, throwing an arm over the brunette's shoulder with a grin. "C'mon, I'm starving!"

Everyone nodded in agreement and the heavy mood began to lighten by the second.

The proceedings went without a hitch, the group of friends happily sharing in food and stories. After dinner the ambiance in the room was warm and peaceful as Terra and Aqua sat together on a sofa of some sort. The two almost dozing from the day's events, while Phil had wandered off somewhere, and Herc and Zack were arguing and posturing jovially, about something childish to be sure.

Aqua tuned them out and leaned into Terra, arms wrapped around his middle and head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat, content. "Terra, I know we're not just friends anymore," she began quietly, so that only he could hear. "But we'll still _be _friends too, right?"

Terra looked down, returning her embrace and smiled with the softest expression he could extend. "Always."

* * *

_AN: To anyone that noticed, yes Zack is still, and always will be, a teen in my world. That way he will never die... I love that boy._


	5. Courage

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

**Awakening**

_AN: So I don't normally put quotes in a chapter but I really felt like this one applied to Aqua's sacrifice in-game, since in my mind, love and courage go hand in hand. You really can't have one without the other. Sort of like light and darkness I guess.  
_

**Chapter Five – Courage**

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13 (insert genderless term for man here)

* * *

"_Courage is what you show when you're afraid of something, but face it anyway, because you know it's the right thing to do."_

"_What are you afraid of Aqua?"_

"_I'm not afraid of anything."_

"_Not now maybe," Terra allowed with a smirk before turning serious again. "In the past though?"_

"_You and Ven," she admitted solemnly. "I was so afraid of losing you both."_

"_And did you show courage?"_

"_Well I-" She blinked at him, realizing he was searching for an example to better understand the meaning. "I'm not sure, I believed in you. Both of you. That has to count for something, right?"_

_Terra nodded, taking a moment to absorb her words._

"_But I think," Aqua began, biting her lip in hesitation. "Watching you slip away into the darkness, was the worst fear I'd ever felt."_

_Suddenly a piece fell into place, and he turned to stare at her, dark eyes searching intently as a flash of a memory seemed to pass over him. "And were you afraid," he paused, surprised by the level of emotion in his voice, "when you dived in after me?"_

_Aqua's breath hitched and she met his intense gaze. "You, remember that?"_

_Terra nodded slightly but closed his eyes briefly as if the memory was elusive. "Only bits and pieces. It's like I was fading in and out, and only able to watch from a great distance." He looked away and scowled, fists clenched in frustration. "I could do __**nothing**__!"_

_Seeing him in such a state, Aqua's heart ached to comfort him and share his pain, but she managed to resist the urge to wrap her arms around him and instead turned away. It would do no good to have both of them wallowing in the past. "I can't remember if I was afraid or not," she finally answered his question, forgotten or not. "There was no time for me to think about being afraid. But in a way I guess I was." She turned a brave smile at him, though it held a shadow of deep sadness. "Afraid of being alone."_

_Terra's expression softened as he watched her closely, marveling at her strength. How much suffering had she endured for his sake? And would he ever truly be able to repay such a debt? She was just too pure, and he too tainted._

_Finally, he returned her smile, his own sadness reflecting back. "Then you showed great courage Aqua, even if I couldn't."_

* * *

After a good night's rest, the two keybearers were prepared to leave, pausing only to say their farewells.

"Bah, good riddance, who needs ya!" Phil grumbled, pacing away in a foul mood.

Hercules smiled after him. "That's just his way of saying goodbye."

Terra and Aqua just stared after the odd creature for a moment. There were just simply no words for some people.

"No hard feelings Zack?" Terra turned and gave the teen a pound on the shoulder, a show of their boyish camaraderie.

"None at all." Zack returned the friendly gesture. "I lost fair and square." He glanced to Aqua, something in his tone and gaze implying that he had lost in more ways than one. "You two take care of each other."

The two nodded with a smile before Aqua turned a worried gaze to the demi-god. "Be careful Hercules, I fear that Hades has something horrible planned, and we won't be around to help you."

Herc gave his chest a pound, trying to demonstrate confidence. "Don't worry Aqua, a true hero can handle anything." He turned to the black haired swordsman beside him and threw an arm over his shoulder. "Right Zack?"

Zack grinned. "Right!"

* * *

Their gliders touched down in a dimly lit courtyard, with green bushes all around and a huge square shaped pool at its center. But one had to wonder, why was it always nighttime in this world?

"What world have you brought us to this time Aqua?" The question was rhetorical, since Terra recognized the area immediately.

She answered him anyway. "I wanted to see how Jaq and Cinderella were doing."

"Hey." Terra gave her arm a nudge as a flash of memory passed over him. "I was never coerced by a villain in this world." He seemed genuinely proud of that fact and then eyed her suspiciously. "Were you?"

"No," she answered flatly, nose in the air as though she were above such a claim. "I did encounter some women though, and they seemed to be full of darkness."

Terra hummed thoughtfully. "I think I know who you mean." He aimed a pointed finger at her. "But I didn't meet them."

Aqua rolled her eyes and headed for the steps leading up into the castle. Terra was at her side by the time she reached the top, and they both noted how bustling the area suddenly was. They both recognized the man at the entrance, a duke wasn't he?

"Oh, I remember you," the duke addressed Aqua first, then Terra as they approached. "Are you both here to join in the festivities?"

Aqua gave her head a curious tilt. "What for?"

"Oh!" The duke seemed pleased to be able to announce the news to someone. "His majesty the king has declared a ball to celebrate the prince's proposal."

"Proposal?" Both keybearers chorused.

"Why yes," the duke continued. "The prince and lady Cinderella are to be married tomorrow!"

Terra and Aqua simply stared at the man, not saying anything for awhile. It wasn't as if their getting married was a surprise. In fact, Terra wondered why they weren't married already. How slowly did time pass in these worlds anyway?

Before long another couple distracted the duke and he ushered everyone inside. "Hurry in, enjoy some refreshments and dancing."

"Aqua," Terra groaned as he followed her inside. "I'm not dancing."

"It's a _ball_ Terra," she patronized. "You_ have_ to dance."

He gave her a sour look, unable to do much of anything else in front of so many people. "I'll just be over there with the refreshments."

"Come on Terra." Aqua tugged on his arm to keep him from escaping. "Dance with me."

Terra gave her a long, steady look. She was always dancing in his mind, no matter what activity she was involved in, so why did she need him to join her? She was beautiful enough on her own.

The look in her bright blue eyes was so genuine, so hopeful and he found that he could not deny her. "Alright, alright! _One_ dance," he clarified with a great sigh of defeat.

Terra faced the other dancers bravely as she led him into the crowd. He swallowed nervously and inwardly cringed. This was not going to end well.

As teenagers, master Eraqus had insisted that they both learn the art, in case they ever needed the skill as peacekeepers on any of their missions. Terra could never imagine what kind of dilemma would require him to know how to dance, but now he was at least somewhat grateful for the lessons. Even if he hadn't been paying attention most the time, he at least knew where to place his hands, not so much his feet though...

Even if he couldn't remember the steps, he prided himself at being a quick learner, and he soon caught on, only causing them to nearly tumble into two other couples dancing nearby. Luckily Aqua was patient with him, never once giving up on him. It was a fast paced waltz and he found that he was actually starting to enjoy himself towards the end, when they were allowed to move around each other more freely and respond to each others movements more naturally. When the music finally came to its climax, the two came back together as though an invisible force had pulled at them.

The music died for a moment afterward, allowing the dancers to catch their breath or vacate before starting up the next song. Terra and Aqua simply stood there together, absorbing each others warmth and deep breaths.

Feeling his heart pounding in his chest and the blood pulsing in his veins reminded him of their sparring sessions back home. Where there was no music to accompany their steps, only the rhythm of their strikes and the chorus of their cries. The experience had been exhilarating and surprisingly enjoyable, however his pride would not allow for another round. When the music threatened to begin again, Terra stood back and offered Aqua his arm with a bow in an attempt to keep up appearances. She took his arm with an amused smile and he led her to a table with various refreshments. He was suddenly very thirsty. His eyes lit up at the sight of so many different colors of drinks and pastries.

Aqua gave him a warning nudge, though her expression was amiable. "Don't over do it."

He turned to meet her suggestion with a challenge to which she promptly ignored and drew a glass of pink liquid for herself. He eyed her choice with intent interest before deciding to pour himself some of the same drink. He chugged the odd tasting liquid greedily and had just finished when he felt Aqua pulling him away, saying something or other about a bench and watching for Cinderella. He hastily poured himself another glass before she finally succeeded in tugging him away.

They settled onto a bench which overlooked a large area of the dance hall and Terra was contentedly enjoying his drink, Aqua pressed comfortably against his side as she went about surveying the room for their friend.

Although he had been drinking from his glass more slowly this time, it was gone all too quickly and he set it on a nearby table, eyes narrowed at the offending vessel, wondering why it had to be so defectively empty. His eyes were suddenly drawn to the glass in Aqua's hand, of which she was so delicately sipping on.

The music and din of voices suddenly died at once when the duke walked by in a distressing clamor, guards flanking him as he went. "Lady Cinderella has gone missing!"

"What?" Aqua was instantly attentive, handing her half-empty glass to Terra as she stood up in haste. "When did this happen?"

Terra's eyes flashed with glee and he quickly emptied the vessel, rightly ignoring the duke's reply. "She was last seen about an hour ago, by the balcony overlooking the royal gardens."

Aqua listened intently, hand to chin in thought. She turned to Terra only to see that he was no longer there but had wandered back to the refreshment table. "Terra!"

She marched after him, only to have the duke frown at their lack of help before turning his attention back to the crowd. "Everyone please stay calm and return to the celebrations. We will commence a sweep of the palace, but if you see her please report it right away." When he finished the guests obediently returned to their conversations and murmuring about the missing bride.

"Terra!" Aqua repeated as she came upon him, agitated by his indifferent attitude. "We have to find Cinderella."

He regarded her placidly with a tilt of his head, as though she were overreacting. "I haven't seen any heartless or felt any darkness around," he replied and waved a lazy gesture. "She probably just got cold feet. We shouldn't get involved."

"But she's our friend, we have to help her," Aqua insisted, pulling at his arm once again and noting the drink in his hand with a hint of annoyance.

In one hand he held the pink drink, in the other, Aqua. He sighed. How to decide?

"Terra!"

"Alright!" he grumbled and begrudgingly set his beloved refreshment on the table, watching it fade away as Aqua yanked him out of range.

They passed a search party of guards as they headed outside and Aqua let go of his arm, no longer needing to keep up appearances and frankly still fuming about his lack of concern. "We should split up, we'll cover more ground that way."

"Look, Aqua," the dark haired man began gently, his tone apologetic. "I didn't mean to sound so cold, but the master always said we shouldn't interfere."

She turned to him, her annoyance melting in an instant and her eyes shining with affection at the mention of their master. "Order must be kept?" she repeated the words they had been charged with so long ago. "I won't interfere, but I feel that she just needs some encouragement from a friend right now." She took one of his hands in hers and looked up into his face, sky-blue eyes searching. "You won't keep me from doing that will you?"

"No." He cupped her cheek with his other hand, giving his sincerity a moment to sink in. Then, switching gears, he pulled away from her and resumed the search. "But I'm not splitting up, I might get lost and wander back to those drinks."

"You wouldn't dare," Aqua hissed and followed after him, amused even though she knew he was making fun of her.

"I would," he admitted, shameless. "So you had better keep track of me."

They soon realized how ridiculously _large_ the palace gardens were outside. It had taken them nearly an hour just to trek through the east side. With so many paths crisscrossing around foliage, water fountains and statues, it was no wonder the young bride-to-be hadn't been found yet. She could literally be hiding anywhere.

"Come on Aqua," Terra groaned, growing agitated by their lack of progress, hands behind his head in boredom. "She'll come out when she's ready."

But Aqua ignored him, her attention drawn up ahead as though she were honing in on her prey. She halted suddenly when she rounded a corner of a long hedge.

Terra caught up to her and was genuinely surprised by the sight. Cinderella sat alone beside a small fountain, its waters splashing gently into the pool below. Her countenance was downcast and she was startled when she heard their footsteps approaching. "Oh, its you."

"Everyone's looking for you," Aqua told her gently as she went closer and knelt down in front of her to engage eye contact. "They're very worried."

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble," Cinderella started, her gaze darting between them anxiously. "It's just..."

"Cold feet?" Terra supplied, a smirk on his face before he realized his input wasn't the most welcome one at the moment.

Aqua merely smiled fondly at his clumsiness and gave her head a suggestive cant. "Give us a minute?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, girl talk, got it." Suddenly not wanting any part of the discussion as though it were the plague, he backed away out of earshot.

Seeming satisfied with the male presence out of range, Cinderella focused back to her thoughts. "It's just that, everything is going to change after tomorrow, and I'm suddenly just so afraid."

Blue eyes searching intently, Aqua wondered if Cinderella was afraid of how people would treat her differently, and the many different things she would need to learn as a co-ruler of a country. Or if she was simply apprehensive about the marriage itself, knowing she would be bound to that one person forever, never knowing for sure if their love would survive that long.

While attempting to put her thoughts together with the intent to encourage, Aqua suddenly found herself reflecting on her own love affair. It wasn't that the thought of marriage hadn't, briefly, crossed her mind during recent events, but she wasn't about to dwell on the future when the present was all she could have ever asked for. Her gaze had unwittingly wandered down the path to their dark haired sentry, obediently manning his post. His arms crossed, he caught her eye and made a face, curious but not intrusive, no doubt he could hear their voices but not their words. The silent exchange not going unnoticed by the young bride-to-be.

"It's worth showing a bit of courage though," Aqua finally responded, turning back to her dismal friend and smiling up at her encouragingly. "Because if you face your fears for the people you love, then things will always work out in the end."

* * *

_AN: Well, the dance scene here was inspired and modeled by the Squall and Rinoa dance scene from Final Fantasy VIII.(Link on my profile) Sigh. Such fond memories there.  
_


	6. Peacekeeper

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

**Awakening**

**Chapter Six – Peacekeeper**

* * *

"_Being a peacekeeper is more like being a peace-seeker, you have to be willing to **look** for peace, not just attempt to keep it," Aqua instructed as she paced in front of her class of students. All of them attentive, entranced by her way of teaching._

_Terra watched and listened from his place nearby as she spoke nearly word for word from one of master Eraqus' teachings. A vivid memory flashed in his mind and he allowed it to manifest, closing his eyes and letting the world around him fade, embracing the memory in its entirety._

_He and Aqua were young back then, perhaps nine and ten. Both of them wide-eyed and excited as they looked around a bustling marketplace. It was their first adventure to another world, supervised of course, under the watchful eye of their master. He had given them a little freedom though, sending them on an errand to deliver an important letter to the other side of town and strictly charging them not to cause any trouble._

_They were off to a good start, navigating the crowd with a wariness not common to most children their age. Their progress was soon hampered when they took a side street from the main thoroughfare where someone running from the opposite direction slammed into Aqua, knocking her down and into a puddle, the letter in hand. _

_Before Terra could move to help his friend he noticed the offender was another boy not much older than himself, and he glared daggers when the boy opened his ignorant mouth. "Hey, watch where you're going, I'm in a hurry here!" He had staggered back a bit from the impact and was soon joined by two more boys, both somewhat younger than him._

_Only glancing away for an instant in order to assist Aqua back to her feet, Terra turned back to him with a sharp look. "You should apologize."_

"_It's ok Terra, I'll dry off, besides, the letter didn't get wet," Aqua soothed, attempting to pat her wet clothes dry with little success. The bully and his flunkies, Terra had labeled, approached and by the look in their eyes, knew they were nothing but trouble._

"_I guess I am sorry," the bully said with a sneer, and mentally, Terra swore he wouldn't allow him to touch his friend again. "Sorry I didn't push you in head first, maybe then your hair would be a **normal** color." His eyes flashed with malice as he snatched the letter and went to shove Aqua again but Terra was way ahead of him. The young keybearer palm struck at his chest, knocking the wind from the boy and in one fluid motion brought him down, griping at his shirt and pinning him on the ground, letter forgotten as it floated away. When the boy's friends came to his aid, Terra struck out with one leg, tripping one boy into the other and with his other hand snatched him out of the air to pin him on the ground right beside the first bully._

_Watching as the whole ordeal transpired in a matter of seconds, Aqua absently wondered what Terra would have done if the third boy had chosen to retaliate, luckily he didn't and scampered off in terror. The two remaining boys gasped and squirmed under Terra's firm hold, his strength undeniable._

_Except to her._

"_Terra," Aqua called, grasping one of his arms and tugging gently. "This isn't right, the master said we shouldn't cause trouble."_

_Terra blinked down at the two boys held at his mercy, his rage suddenly evaporating as she spoke, her words making sense, though a part of him wished they didn't. Slowly, warningly, he released them and backed away, a challenge flashing in his dark blue eyes._

_The two sides squared off for a long moment, a stalemate until a sudden obstruction came between them. A tall, imposing figure loomed over them, proving to administer both protection and reproof._

"_Terra," came their master's stern voice, forgotten letter in hand. "Do I need to remind you what it means to be a peacekeeper?"_

* * *

"Where are we this time?"

"Don't ask me, you're the one that wanted to try someplace "new", so here we are."

They had landed in a tropical looking forest, with tall leafy trees and foliage all around. Before landing they had noted an enormous ocean and a beautiful beach, but since said beach seemed to be quite populated they decided to land somewhere less conspicuous and thus found themselves in the forest.

The air around them was thick and muggy, almost stifling, and Aqua was suddenly thankful for her lightweight attire. Terra's though, she sympathized, looked to be a bit uncomfortable as he pulled at the collar of his shirt, demonstrating his discomfort with a huff.

"We should find some water or we won't last long around here," Aqua suggested when they found a well worn path and started to follow it, weaving around trees and undergrowth.

Terra didn't reply but merely nodded in agreement, speech requiring too much energy.

They both froze at once when a rustling noise came from another path to the left and suddenly a little girl emerged from the greenery. She seemed to have been in a hurry but she halted right in front of them, staring up at them in wonderment for a moment. Her big brown eyes were curious, her tanned skin contrasting perfectly with her long black hair, and according to Aqua, just plain adorable!

Aqua offered an easy, friendly smile. "Hello there."

"Hi," the girl replied with a wide smile. "My name's Lilo, what's your name?"

"I'm Aqua," the keyblade master announced and gestured to her companion. "This is Terra."

"Nice to meet you," Lilo said in a friendly way, though with an odd look and a tilt of her head. "You're not from around here are you?"

Aqua shared a nervous glance with Terra. "Wh-why do you say that?"

"Your clothes are so weird," the girl said, suddenly very blunt. "Where did you get 'em, outer space?" she asked, eyes beaming with laughter.

"Um, well..." Aqua wasn't sure what to say, she supposed that was actually somewhat accurate, though they couldn't admit to being from another world.

Luckily she didn't have to answer as another disturbance manifested onto the path. A yowling white cat bolted up a tree and was promptly followed by a familiar blue creature, barking on like a dog in pursuit of the feline.

Lilo turned to the commotion and waved her hand fervently. "Hey Stitch, c'mere and meet my new friends!"

"Hey it's 626!" Terra greeted excitedly as the little blue experiment shuffled closer, cat forgotten. "Hey, you behaving yourself?"

"Stitch!" The little monster corrected pointedly as he sat beside the little girl, earning him an affectionate pat on the head.

"Huh?" Terra cocked his head to one side, confused. What had happened to the untamed, chaotic critter he knew way back on the spaceship?

"My name, Stitch!"

The two keybearers shared a knowing look and Aqua leaned down, hands on knees as she regarded the little alien with a fond smile. "Well it looks like you made a good friend, Stitch. I'm so proud of you!"

Stitch smiled back and looked like he was about to say something when his ears switched up and to the side, listening to something in the distance. "Nani."

"Uh-oh," Lilo gasped, looking to Stitch. "We'd better go or we'll never get any ice-cream!" Scrambling away in a hurry, the little girl and her blue alien-dog vanished into the undergrowth as quickly as they had appeared.

Aqua and Terra could only watch in confusion as not a moment later another person crashed into the clearing. This time it was a young woman, with the same skin tone and hair color as the little girl. She approached the two, out of breath and eying them warily, though she made no comment about their unusual attire. "A little girl and her dog-" she began but when Terra and Aqua both pointed in the direction of the duo's exit the woman took off mid-sentence. Leaving the keybearers in confusion once again.

They hadn't even a chance to comment on the events when a sudden darkness engulf them and they tumbled together in a blind panic as an electric shock surged all around. Aqua felt Terra struggling beside her against the black mesh that held them captive. They both would have summoned their keyblades if they hadn't been afraid of impaling each other. "We have to-" Biting back a cry of fear and burning agony from the electric shock, she managed to find his writhing head with one hand and he stilled instantly at her touch. "We have to stay calm."

"Not who I was hoping to catch but I won't complain," came a faintly familiar deep voice as thunderous footfalls approached. "I won't turn down a chance at revenge."

Aqua felt the world spin as they were lifted into the air by the electrifying net and she heard Terra howl with frustration and pain, the sparks crackling their skin mercilessly. Consciousness was slipping, and soon there was a deeper darkness.

* * *

Aqua's thoughts were foggy, her vision blurry as she blinked to clear it. Groaning miserably, she pulled a shaky hand to her aching head, her whole body tingled with discomfort. At least they weren't in that wretched net anymore, she noted with a glance. Terra lay sprawled on the floor beside her, as though they had been dumped there without care or subtlety.

"Awake already?" Came that same deep voice. Aqua looked up to see a familiar giant alien, his skin a steely pale blue with two distinctive tusks protruding on either side of his broad head. Captain Gantu, was it? Aqua shook her head, it didn't matter, what mattered was the fact that he was on the other side of a shimmering blue wall, and they in what appeared to be a tiny prison cell. "Good, now stay put while I think of a way to make you pay for my humiliation." He turned slightly, about to leave but hesitated to tap the transparent wall, causing a spark to snap on his rough skin. "And don't get any ideas, your cell is ray shielded."

With that, Gantu stomped away with his thundering footfalls and Aqua turned her attention to Terra when she heard him stir and groan weakly. She went to cradle his head with one hand and cast a mild cure to ease his pain, since he would be waking to the same misery as she had moments before.

Terra waved her fussing away and tried to focus his eyes as he sat up, probably too quickly as he held his head in his hands for a moment. "What happened?"

"Captain Gantu from the ship 62- I mean Stitch was on, he captured us and is apparently holding a grudge from when I did his job for him." Aqua cast an unpleasant look over her shoulder before turning back with a smirk. "He thinks we can't escape."

Terra returned the expression and Earthshaker materialized in his hand.

When the shield faded and shut down, Aqua caught him by the arm before he could storm out. "We should be stealthy about this, I don't want to fight him if we don't have to."

Terra gave her an incredulous look, a blue fire roaring in his eyes. "But look what he-"

In one fluid motion Aqua drew both hands behind his head and pulled him into what she hoped was a passionate kiss under the circumstances, partially to shut him up and partially to motivate obedience. She cut it off all too soon and pulled back to see the fire in his eyes remained but for an entirely different reason. "Now, you can stay here and fight or we can continue this outside."

"I'll follow you."

With a smug smile Aqua turned and lead the way through a corridor. They seemed to be on a ship, though it didn't feel like they were flying or in orbit. Making their way through the ship as quietly as possible, Aqua soon noticed an open doorway up ahead, where she could hear faint clicks and computer beeps. Sneaking to the edge of the door, she could see Gantu seated at a terminal and he seemed to be researching various creatures which looked something akin to Stitch, though with many different colors and shapes.

She turned to Terra with a finger to her lips and he rolled his eyes impatiently and gestured for her to keep moving. When she did, a siren suddenly started wailing. They had apparently triggered a motion detector hidden somewhere.

Gantu rounded in his seat, eyes huge with surprise. "How did you get out of there?" he boomed, indignant as he drew his blaster.

"No cell could ever contain us," Terra announced with an arrogant sweep of his blade. With their cover blown, no sense in being modest. "Now stand down." If Aqua didn't want to fight the lout then he would at least attempt to warn him. Not that he wouldn't mind pounding the stuffing out of him for what he had done to them.

Gantu fired and Terra moved to intercept. Aqua could only sigh in defeat, though she had to keep moving too, since he was firing at both of them in the small space. Before long the room was a smoking heap of charred metal with Gantu sprawled on the floor, his blaster busted in two by Terra's keyblade.

"I'll get you, just wait until the room stops spinning..." The huge alien groaned and waved his hands around aimlessly.

The two keybearers shared a look of agreement and dashed for the doorway, soon finding the ship's exit and stepping out into the humid air once again. Terra turned to look at the air conditioned vessel longingly. "Maybe we should kick him out and take the ship for ourselves."

"Terra," Aqua warned, a reproof in her tone. "We're not stealing his ship."

"Joking," he said as they found themselves once again in the middle of the forest. "So?" He faced her, expectant. "Where were we?"

"You, sir," Aqua started, prodding a finger at his chest. "Didn't follow the terms I set."

"_I_ wasn't the one who tripped the alarm," he retorted with a raised brow.

"That's true," Aqua agreed and pulled him within reach by the collar of his shirt only to hesitate, her lips mere inches from his. "But you still engaged." She released him and turned to walk away but Terra caught her gently by the wrist.

"You have got to be kidding."

"If you want my affections then you have to earn them."

"Since when?" he asked, leaning down and touching his forehead to hers. His blue eyes glinting with a familiar mischief. Why earn it when he could just take? He decided not to voice that thought though, to which _would_ have earned him something from her, but assuredly nothing aligned with affection.

"Since your obnoxious streak set in," she told him with a smirk, patiently letting him have his moment. "Now lets go, I want to put as much distance between us and that idiot captain as possible."

Terra couldn't argue with that, even if she was reneging on her agreement. He mentally shrugged, fine with him, that just meant he could choose the time and place, which also gave him a chance to devise a plan of attack. For whatever reason he had found amusement in embarrassing her lately, and she was just so easy to mess with.

It wasn't just that though. Ever since she had made him promise not to leave her behind again he had felt the need to reassure her both audibly and physically to prove that he wasn't about to just fade away from her life again. She seemed to have come to some sort of understanding on the matter without him having to explain it. Although she was still having trouble accepting his more intimate displays, to which he decided she just simply needed some conditioning. That was something he was happy to administer.

They trekked onward in comfortable silence, the birds chirping high overhead while a frog croaked nearby. There was also an odd, dull hum in the distance, though it sounded too far away to be concerned about and he didn't allow the disturbance to distract him as he watched Aqua through a sly expression. A demonstration already coming to mind, though it would have to wait as they were heading into a more civilized area, the foliage and treeline peeling away to reveal first one building, then two, and finally an entire town came into view. A faint scent of cooked meat and spices wafted by and they shared a look. They were both suddenly very hungry, not to mention thirsty due to the muggy atmosphere. He could see strange vehicles coming and going in the distance and attributed them to the dull hum from earlier.

As they walked through the streets in search of food, Aqua noted uncomfortably how they seemed to be attracting an unusual amount of attention from the public passing by. She glanced down at her usual blue-white outfit, wondering if something was out of place. Was their attire that strange? Although they seemed to be a spectacle of sorts as they walked down the sidewalk, no one person spent more than a few seconds to study them. All she could think of was that they were being passed off as oddly dressed tourists. Though the little girl, Lilo's, comment about them coming from outer space unnerved her a bit. Hopefully no one else made such a connection, or they may find themselves in a bind.

"Food." Aqua turned to see Terra's head turned toward a small restaurant with his nose in the air to imply his choice. He gave her a questioning glance and she nodded before following him inside; she wouldn't deny that the smell of food was making her mouth water.

When they entered the small establishment, the sounds of customers murmuring at various tables mixed with the sizzling of the meats and vegetables being cooked nearby. Once again they were the center of attention for a matter of seconds by the populace inside, but soon enough they were ignored altogether. Aqua found herself ignoring the disturbance as well, the insatiable aroma of food too much of a distraction as her stomach growled. Thinking on the matter, she realized they hadn't stopped to eat since the night before, when they had finally talked Cinderella into returning to the ball. The food there had been quite good, though with an annoyed glance to Terra, she knew he had been more interested in that infernal pink drink most the night.

As they waited in line to order, Terra was preoccupied with watching the cooks as they prepared the food at a counter off to the side, while Aqua didn't bother to fight the smile of amusement at how childish he could be when his most base needs were in question.

She on the other hand focused on the customer just ahead of them as he paid for his meal, noting what appeared to be green paper and copper coins. Aqua recognized it and took a moment to step away and synthesize some currency with the Munny they brought with them from Radiant Garden. Since currency was never the same in the various worlds, it was a skill she had mastered long ago. It had required a thorough study and memorization of the notes Master Eraqus had compiled from his extensive ventures concerning the various currencies and how to synth them into perfect replicas.

Stepping back to Terra's side, he eyed her curiously and his eyes flashed with interest at the currency in her hands. "You are really handy to have around."

"Don't tell me you hadn't thought about how we would pay." She rolled her eyes and probed his shoulder. Sometimes he really was as carefree as a child. It had to be Ven's influence, she was almost sure of it.

"Just one of the many reasons I keep you around."

"You sound like you have a list."

"Maybe I do."

"I would very much like to see this list."

She hadn't been aware of how intimate their conversation had turned until he was looming over her, blue eyes soft yet cunning. "I'll show you later." Aqua wasn't entirely sure if he was still talking about a list or something else entirely. She didn't get a chance to reply when he turned away as the customer ahead of them moved away with his food.

"Can I... help you?" The woman behind the counter greeted them, her voice cheerful at first but quickly switched into an odd tone as she noticed their clothing and shoulder armor with a swift glance. But she wasn't concerned, more curious than anything as she patiently waited for them to order. Aqua assumed she was probably forbidden to insult customers directly.

Once they had ordered and paid for their food without incident the two decided to take their meal at a table just outside the restaurant. For whatever reason, the building wasn't air conditioned and was even warmer due to all the appliances radiating heat. At least outside there was a slight breeze from the nearby ocean.

Neither spoke more than a few words as they enjoyed their meal together, watching idly as people walked by, eying them curiously before continuing onward with their business. It soon became apparent that choosing to take their meal outside was a bad idea. They had nearly finished eating when a black vehicle pulled up across the street, halting abruptly with a screech.

Terra had been hunched over his plate as he ate, but something about the disturbance made him sit erect, eyes narrowed suspiciously. He watched as a door of the vehicle opened and a man dressed in black from head to toe stepped out. Even his skin tone was dark, his eyes hidden behind black glasses as he approached their table cautiously.

Not cautiously enough for Terra. He pushed off from his chair, causing it to screech unpleasantly, and moved to place himself between Aqua and the intruder, a silent warning that he knew was universal. The man halted a good five feet away in that instant, whether due to Terra's display or if that was simply where he would have stopped regardless was uncertain. Absently, Terra noted another screech and heard Aqua move to stand closer.

For a tense moment, no one said anything and passerby quickly made tracks around them, giving a wide berth. Terra watched the man closely, trying to decipher his intentions, good or bad. He looked like an official agent of some kind, perhaps with the local government? He didn't want to cause problems with the authorities but he also refused to be threatened for no apparent reason. If only he could see the man's expression, maybe he could decide on a course of action. But those dark glasses were a nuisance, hiding the only window of emotion he could rely on, especially since the rest of his features were unreadable.

After turning his head ever so slightly, presumably looking from Terra to Aqua and back again he finally spoke. "You two aren't from around here." It wasn't a question, his deep voice a rolling monotone.

"Tourists," Aqua piped up from behind and attempting to come forward, only to aim a pointed glare at Terra as he held his arm out to bar her way. He still hadn't determined if there was danger here, and he wasn't about to risk Aqua's safety just for the sake of pleasantries. He kept his gaze trained on the agent, ignoring Aqua's sounds of disapproval behind him.

"Tourists?" the agent repeated, his tone implying he had basically invented the word skepticism.

Neither answered him, though Terra could tell Aqua was biting her tongue in order to keep herself from intervening. No doubt still fuming about being silenced.

The agent studied them carefully for a moment, seeming to decide something by their lack of a better explanation. "I'll need you both to come with me."

Before Aqua could stop him, Terra's keyblade materialized in his hand. "Under what charges?"

The imposing agent tipped his head down slightly, allowing his black glasses to slip down his nose a fraction, revealing dark, unimpressed eyes. His expression seemed to radiate one word. _Really?_

Before Terra could respond to the man's unusually quick movement he was on his knees, gasping in a fiery agony none to different from that accursed electric net from earlier. The last thing he seen was an oddly shaped weapon in the agent's hand, then there was more pain, and then once again, there was darkness.

* * *

Aqua watched in shock as Terra dropped to his knees with a sudden spasm. She reached out a hand to him but was otherwise frozen in her place. What was wrong with him? She looked to the agent for an answer, but he hadn't appeared to even move. She quickly noticed something in his hand though and it looked like some sort of weapon, with a thin, flimsy line extending from its head to Terra's chest. Regardless of its appearance it was certainly causing Terra a high level of pain as he was writhing on the ground for a few seconds until collapsing completely with a grunt of frustration and pain.

"Terra!" Aqua cried. Finally forcing her body into action, she dropping down to check his pulse and ready a cure if needed.

"He'll be fine, he's just unconscious," said the agent, watching her closely for any signs of retaliation. "Now if you'll come with me quietly, I have some questions for you."

"Of course," Aqua replied, not moving from Terra's side. He seemed alright, just as the agent had said. "We don't mean any harm, honest."

"We will see." The agent merely hummed sceptically before waving some other agents in that she hadn't noticed earlier. They obeyed and proceeded to move Terra into the black, boxy looking vehicle across the street. She followed right behind them and settled onto the seat inside, cradling Terra's head when they dropped him in with her.

Upon reaching their destination Aqua found herself following behind the agents once again as they lugged Terra's unconscious body into an official looking building.

The agent in charge suddenly turned to her as the others continued ahead, which made her anxious as she could tell he had something to say and she would have to stop and listen. "You seem like a responsible young woman," the dark clad man began cautiously. "So I'm telling you this now, as long as neither of you cause any trouble while you're here I can assure you that you will most likely be released after my interrogation in the morning." He made a gesture towards the departing agents and Terra. "It would have been sooner if your friend was still conscious."

Aqua nodded her understanding, though her anxiety was growing with each step separating her from Terra. "What will you do with him in the meantime?"

"He will be detained until morning. Since you have shown no signs of hostility, you may choose to stay in one of the offices for the night or be detained as well."

Aqua studied the man before her with a careful intelligence. What he spoke of was merely two kinds of confinement, the only difference in her mind was that one separated her from Terra and the other did not. She could imagine all too well the fury he would wake up with and the mental picture did nothing to calm her rattled nerves. She quickly nodded her understanding and took off after the agents down a long hall. Leaving the cryptic agent behind, she idly thought it was odd that he didn't seem concerned that she wouldn't wander off without constraints of any kind.

She promptly dismissed the thought as she caught up to the agents as they continued to lug the still unconscious Terra between them. She thought she heard them grumbling and mumbling something to each other but quickly stifled their chatter when she drew close. They shared a look of genuine surprise between them when they noticed she wasn't opting to stay in an office for the night.

When they reached a large metal door with two guards stationed on either side, the two agents each flashed a badge of identification and swiped them on a small terminal near the door after the guards nodded their approval. The mighty door's hinge clicked and swung open as the foursome moved forward into a long corridor lined with barred cells on either side all the way down.

Aqua tried to ignore the numerous sets of eyes trained on her as they headed down the corridor, although it seemed odd to her that the few captives she did glance at weren't even human. In fact they more reminded her of the subjects Captain Gantu was studying on his ship. How strange.

Some of the creatures came to the edge of their cell, watching curiously as they passed by, while others paced back and forth, glaring menacingly at the newcomers. Still others looked to be hyperventilating or just simply too high-strung and nervous to be sitting still.

Upon reaching an empty cell, the agents proceeded in dumping Terra on one of the beds that was stationed against one wall. And, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, Aqua followed them inside.

When the agents turned to leave they were once again genuinely surprised and confused by her behavior. Yet neither of them seemed to know how to handle the situation and simply stepped out of the cell, waiting for a moment to see if she would follow. When she instead moved to sit on the floor beside Terra's bed, one of the agents finally scoffed and shut the cell door.

"What about protocol?" the other agent wondered. "Shouldn't we separate them?"

The other agent scoffed. "Do you see anymore cells available?" He carried on about experiments taking up too much space as he sealed the door with a click and punched in a code on the keypad lock. "We've got our hands full keeping those _things _from causing planet-wide panic and you're worried about protocol?" The agent continued berating his companion as they left, their voices fading down the corridor.

Aqua breathed out a tired sigh as she rested her head against the mattress behind her. She could hear Terra breathing steadily in his unconscious state. She frowned, his behavior earlier was unacceptable, though she partially blamed herself for not stopping him when she knew he had gone too far. Sighing again, this time in exasperation, she turned around and lay her chin on the mattress. Watching his peaceful form, she stroked his dark hair out of his face, wondering why he found it so hard to trust people. Although it didn't take her long to come to a conclusion, remembering how many times he must have been betrayed and deceived on countless worlds.

She stayed that way for a long time, not even sure herself how much time had passed, when she felt her eyes drooping and her head tilting to the side with tiredness. She was sure she was about to doze off when the mattress shifted slightly and a warm hand was pressed against her cheek. She blinked her blue eyes and found his staring back, his expression somewhat delirious as he glanced around the small cell.

Pulling his hand away, he sat up slowly and scrutinized the metal bars to the side as though they were an unwelcome guest to a party. "Another cell," he grumbled, his voice weak and groggy. "This entire day is one big deja vu."

Aqua moved to sit beside him, giving him an amused sidelong look. "Except I didn't get electrocuted this time."

He merely turned and glared at her, and he appeared to not be feeling very well, but she took the opportunity to berate him anyway. "Diplomacy first. Keyblade second. That's the first rule as our role as peacekeepers, something you always seem to forget."

"And I'm telling you, one of these days diplomacy won't be the other person's first thought."

"And I'll be ready if that happens," Aqua assured him, blinking patiently. "But we need to resolve things peacefully if we can, _especially_ when it comes to the local authorities. Which reminds me, we have to stay here tonight, that man said we will be released tomorrow after an interrogation."

Terra sighed in defeat, a headache eclipsing between his eyes; he really wasn't in the mood to argue with her. His body ached due to not one but _two_ electric shocks in the same 24hour period and he felt exhausted. Kicking off his boots and letting them fall to the floor with a clank he laid back on the edge of the bed but wasn't able to recline fully with Aqua in the way. He raised his head from the pillow and gave her a pointed look. "Move already."

Aqua smiled at him, the words themselves were an order but his tone merely implied annoyance. Nonetheless she obeyed, following suit and shifting her boots off before moving to tower over him somewhat from the free space on the bed. Staring down at him momentarily and prodding his side with a warm humor in her gaze, she couldn't help but tease him further. "You know I'm right." But he only grumbled something incoherently in reply, averting his gaze from her for a moment as she settled herself beside him.

The bed was rather small and if they were going to make sleeping successful they were going to have to get quite cozy. And even though there was another bed above them, neither had made the suggestion to sleep separately.

That was something Aqua had to reconsider when he leaned in to kiss her and she tucked away from his advance with a sudden flush. "Terra," she chided, giving their cell a furtive glance. "This is hardly the place."

"It's not my fault they threw us in here." Actually it sort of was his fault, but not to be deterred, he drew one hand to her ribcage and ran his knuckles lightly down to her abdomen, causing her to gasp and jerk away with a start, her back flat against the wall.

"S-stop that!" she squeaked, her voice caught in her lungs, her heart pounding a hundred beats a second. She was sure she looked like a petrified cat that had been dunked in water. "Or I'm sleeping on top tonight."

"Oh?" She was so frazzled that she didn't recognize the implications of her wording until he raised a brow and fought off a bout of laughter.

Suddenly angry, she shoved at him as he chuckled at her expense. "That's not what I meant!"

Stifling his laughter Terra pulled her back to him with an amused smile, nuzzling her head and his hands chastely occupied in her hair. "I'm sorry," he said, finding that he couldn't rid his voice of all the humor completely. "But you are so adorable when you're flustered."

Aqua scowled into the crook of his neck, though her anger ebbed and she gave his chest a halfhearted pound. "Is that why you're always making fun of me?"

Terra didn't reply, but she could see his smile deepen and felt him puff at her hair through his nose. Before long his breathing had steadied into a deep rhythm and she knew he was asleep. It was aggravating that he could find sleep so quickly when she was still dealing with the repercussions of his touch. With certain "forbiddens" still currently on fire and her heart still racing. The whole ordeal made her stop and reconsider her original thoughts on marriage and how far away it really was. With such advances it suddenly seemed much closer.

She knew he was just toying with her, trying to get a rise out of her for his own amusement, but how long until he was serious? How long until _she_ was serious for that matter? Fighting the urge to cover her face with her hands in shame, she tried to banish such impure thoughts and just _sleep_. She closed her eyes and concentrated on his steady breathing, using it as a point of focus.

It took some time, but the day's events had finally caught up with her and she eventually felt her mind beginning to drift into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

Aqua could hear voices in her sleep but couldn't decipher the words until she realized she was simply waking up, the voices she recognized belonged to the same agents from the day before. It felt like she had only closed her eyes for few moments, but a glance up to the window high above proved with a certainty that it had been much longer, the morning light pouring in through steel bars. Oh, that's right, detained...again. Funny how sleep made one forget things. Remembering that they had been captured was one thing, noting how intimately she was snuggled up to the man she loved was quite another. She soon felt heat rising up her neck as last night's events rushed back with a vengeance.

"-told you we should have separated them," the one agent was carrying on worriedly. "We'll be written up for sure."

"Oh stop your fussing," the other agent growled before turning to the captives with a bark. "Hey you two, get up, Cobra has demanded your interrogation first thing this morning." He did not look happy about retrieving them manually when there was no movement in the cell.

"Terra, wake up." Aqua nudged him gently, though the urgency in her mind was growing as the agent began punching the code on the keypad, grumbling angrily as he did so. She didn't know how Terra would react to being threatened upon waking, especially with her being a part of the equation, since he was always struggling with an unyielding need to protect her. A mental image of the poor agent thrashed and twitching on the floor came to mind and she proceeded to nudge him more urgently.

His cobalt blue eyes suddenly blinked open, clear and bright, and she realized he had been awake long before her. The idiot! Why was he drawing out a potential confrontation? She felt like shoving him rightly off the bed, and probably would have if not for that accursed brilliant smile on his face. "Get up, you big oaf!" She settled for pushing him in the right direction, but his toned muscles resisted her force defiantly. She glared at him now, the effect of his soft expression wearing off all too quickly as she hissed in exasperation. Honestly, sometimes it seemed like he welcomed confrontation.

The agent had swung the door open and had only made it one step inside the cell when Terra was on his feet and facing the intruder, his blue eyes flashing a warning and the agent paused to take note of the dark challenge waiting there. Even though he had nearly lost his temper with the prisoners, something in Terra's stance and steady gaze made the agent rethink his extraction and retreat back through the doorway cautiously. "About time!" he grumbled. "Now hurry up, before Cobra chews our hides for making him wait."

Thankful for the heat draining from her face as they marched back down the corridor, Aqua took the opportunity to investigate the cells they passed this time, noticing that indeed, at least ninety percent of the captives were not human. She shared a glance with Terra and he shrugged. What could they do? It wasn't like they could very well control so many creatures, especially if they were anything like Stitch. It was sad, but perhaps it was for the best that they were held captive for now.

Once they were through the corridor and on the other side of the huge door the agents led them to an interrogation room, where the same agent from yesterday waited for them. He nodded to the other agents and they left without a word, shutting the door behind them.

Aqua could almost feel the anger and anxiety coming off Terra in waves as he glared at the dark clad man standing by a chair and the lone table in the room.

"Have a seat, both of you." He gestured to the two chairs on the other side of the table.

Aqua immediately moved to obey, only turning to give Terra a pointed look when he wasn't right behind her. When he finally moved to follow she could tell he was biting back a growl of annoyance.

As they took their seats, the agent walked over to a small counter in the corner of the room where there was a small, bubbling appliance and proceeded in pouring some dark liquid into a cup. "Coffee?"

"Oh yes, I'd like some please," Aqua chirped pleasantly, glancing to Terra to see he was currently pinning a glare to the wall in the other direction.

"Tell me," The agent handed her the cup and sat down in front of them with his own. "How did such a well mannered young lady like yourself come to be affiliated with such an ill-tempered ruffian like him?" He jabbed a thumb in Terra's direction and Aqua suddenly noticed the absence of the agent's dark glasses. Was that his way of extending respect?

"Who, Terra?" Aqua looked between the two men. "Oh he's only like this with certain people," she said, which _did_ earn her a growl of annoyance from him. "Oh, and he's sulking."

The agent watched their exchange closely for a moment before finally deciding to get to the point. "I'll make this as simple as possible," he said. "I need to know why you're here."

Aqua blinked at him and briefly shared a look with Terra. They both knew that his terminology of "here" was not directed at the town they had been wandering. He knew they were not from this planet, this world. Nonetheless, Aqua felt it was necessary to avoid an outright admission of their origins. "We're on a journey to visit some friends."

"Friends?" the agent's tone was skeptical.

"Yes," Aqua confirmed with a nod. "We have one here actually, his name is Stitch."

"Stitch?" the agent repeated and added to himself in a murmur, "so you're affiliated with them after all." He seemed to contemplate this for a time, watching both of them carefully before finally moving to stand. "You're free to go, but if I hear that you've caused any disturbances then I won't be so," he paused, giving Terra a pointed look, "_lenient_ next time."

The dark haired keybearer glared back and Aqua warned him with a nudge. "We understand," she answered for both of them. "Thank you, um..."

"Cobra," the agent finally introduced himself with a kind, probably rare smile and crossed the room to open the door for them to exit. "Agent Cobra."

"Thank you Agent Cobra." Aqua nodded with a friendly smile of her own. Terra uttered a grunt as he made to leave, Aqua not far behind him as she called back over her shoulder with a wry expression. "I'll be sure to keep him out of trouble this time."

"Be sure that you do!" the agent called back, not a single variable in his tone attributing to humor.

* * *

Stepping outside the confinement of the building, Terra paused and took in a deep breath. Feeling trapped was not something he was especially fond of, not after... He glanced to Aqua, knowing she should have had similar feelings about it. They had both been imprisoned for so long, their circumstances different yet so similar too. The only difference last night was that they hadn't been alone. They had each other and thus their momentary captivity could be endured. Regardless, he was glad to be free again.

"Shall we?" Aqua gestured for them to keep moving. "I bet you're ready to leave this world in the dust."

Terra nodded, keeping silent as he was still feeling moody from the whole imprisonment ordeal. Though being free again was steadily improving his mood, and Aqua's warm presence proved to be melting his frosty anger like a brilliant ray of sunshine.

As they headed away from the building down the only concrete path, they noticed that the entire compound seemed to be fenced in and they would have to pass through a checkpoint before they were officially_ free_. Where they could easily mount there gliders and simply vacate the world in seconds, they knew it would be best to find someplace secluded and leave quietly, after all, agent Cobra had charged them not to cause anymore trouble and Aqua was determined to keep her word on the matter.

She lead the way to the checkpoint, peering into the booth connecting to the gate and watching the guard inside as he pushed a button. The gate clicked and buzzed as it slid open. He must have been informed that they were free to leave and thereafter waved them through. The two strode by the gate casually, as if they were captured and released on a daily basis, that or the experience had little to no effect on them since they had been through so much worse throughout their lives.

They followed the road for a time, waiting for it to curve out of sight before heading into the forest nearby. Aqua kept glancing at the man beside her, wondering if she should address the matter that she had been worrying over the night before. When he gave her a questioning look, she couldn't help it when her jaw went slack for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "Terra," she started, eyes downcast, voice hesitant. "About last night..."

She hadn't hesitated long, but it was enough of an opening for him to interject, his face soft with concern and Aqua could only guess that his mind had been circling the same matter. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." He frowned, feeling rather guilty that he may have taken his new form of entertainment a bit too far. "You know you can just throttle me and I'll knock it off."

Aqua met his frown with her own, the conversation was not steering the way she had intended it to. She wanted some clarity on how quickly their newly declared relationship was moving, not permission to thrash him every time he took a misstep. "That's not exactly-"

Her thoughts were suddenly scrambled when a blue flash crossed their path and into the bushes nearby. They both halted and watched as the thing crept back cautiously, and they both smiled. "It's Stitch!"

Their conversation promptly forgotten, both keybearers knelt down to greet their little blue friend. "You sure are in a hurry these days," Aqua commented. "Where were you off to this time?"

"Ohana," Stitch replied bluntly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Huh?" Both Aqua and Terra chorused, sharing a look of confusion.

"Ohana means family," the little alien explained, holding out his new wayfinder proudly, a tiny, pink starfish.

The couple pulled out their own wayfinders, conclusion dawning in their eyes.

"Terra, Aqua, Ven," Stitch exclaimed, pulling their hands and wayfinders together with each paw. "Ohana." He looked up to see recognition shining in their blue eyes and continued. "It's little, and broken," he told them solemnly. "But still good." Nodding to both of them in turn, big black eyes shining brilliantly. "Yeah, still good."

The little creature couldn't have known how closely his words hit their mark. Aqua met and held Terra's gaze, and they both smiled. A silent, fond memory of their beloved master, their _father_ passing between them. Yes, although small and broken, their family was still good.

Thinking of their little threesome as a family flared up a slight blush on Aqua's face, realizing what position that pegged her as in the unit. The same thought had occurred to her all those years ago when Ven had given them tickets to Disney Town and said he should go with two grown ups.

Terra on the other hand, only seemed amused by the notion and seeing his arrogant smirk staring back at her wasn't helping her embarrassment any. Stitch suddenly realized he was being ignored, his eyes switching from Terra to Aqua, staring at each other as though... "Blech," he asserted in disgust and scampered off into the brush just as quickly as he had appeared, shouting something in his alien tongue as he went.

The couple blinked after him. Apparently they had twisted his meaning into something he despised. Standing together, Terra linked his hand with hers, binding their wayfinders together between their interlocked fingers. He offered an affectionate smile and Aqua relaxed into a comfortable smile of her own. She suddenly knew with a certainty that he would not push her farther than she was willing to go, though whether that was comforting or not ultimately depended on her.

"Let's get out of here," Terra suggested, suddenly paranoid. "Before the next lunatic decides to come along and lock us up for no apparent reason."

"That won't happen," Aqua replied, prodding his chest with one finger. "As long as you keep the peace."

* * *

_AN: That's right, Terra got tased, by Bubbles no less! XD Apparently he doesn't know what resisting arrest is..._


	7. Conflict

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

**Awakening**

_AN: For whatever reason (I blame deviantart) I was inspired to write this after I beat the game, which means I actually wrote most of this chapter even before I wrote chapter one... I swear I have a bunny living in my head the way I hop around... That would also explain all the fluff. XD Enjoy.  
_

* * *

**Chapter Seven – Conflict**

"_Sometimes, conflict is unavoidable." Master Eraqus regarded his young students with a sober expression. "However, as peacekeepers, it's your job to find the balance between finding a diplomatic solution to your problems or allowing a conflict to manifest."_

"_But Master," a ten year old Aqua interjected, making a face. "You've always taught us to be peacekeepers. Now you're saying conflict is ok?"_

"_I never said conflict was a good thing," Eraqus corrected gently. "I said it is sometimes unavoidable. Sometimes conflict is needed in order for there to be change. And sometimes a change is needed to avoid more destructive conflicts."_

_Aqua nodded her head slowly, as if absorbing only a portion of the explanation._

"_I don't get it," Terra grumbled, arms crossed in frustration._

"_You will someday, Terra." Eraqus smiled affectionately at his young apprentice. "You will find balance, someday."_

* * *

Aqua opened her eyes a crack, her head swimming as she tried to clear her blurry vision. Blinking multiple times, she noted some trees on the landscape, an endless plain with lush, green grass covering everything for as far as she could see. She raised her head to get a better view and then wished she hadn't soon after. Along with the sweeping sensation in her head, a sharp pain presented itself and the dizziness was beginning to make her nauseous. World hopping had always brought with it a slight discomfort upon landing, but she couldn't even remember the last time it had been this intense. Her whole body felt so_ strange_! She closed her eyes, concentrating on calming her writhing stomach. Maybe she wasn't getting enough sleep. She opened her eyes and turned to look for Terra, hoping to voice her suggestion for some time to rest before they set off exploring again.

Her heart rate increased when she didn't see him, her vision still somewhat blurry. Did they get separated? The only thing nearby was a hulking brown rock beside her, that is, until said rock groaned...loudly. She had turned away from it in that instant only to snap her attention back to it in disbelief. Did the rock have fur? She scrutinized the rock, that obviously was not a rock, as it shifted, its shape becoming more defined as muscles contracted, limbs moved. Her eyesight finally cleared when a broad, dark head lifted and turned in her direction. Dark blue eyes met hers and she stifled a screech. An imposing, fully maned, brown lion stared back at her, his shocked expression reflecting her own.

Aqua's whole body tensed up, knowing that the creatures were prone to attack almost anything, she was preparing a thought to bolt for the nearest tree when he spoke, in a tone not so different from Terra's, though a bit deeper. "_Aqua_?"

Aqua froze, realization popping in her mind as she only just then noticed the unmistakable gold-brown pauldron on his left shoulder. "_Terra_?"

They both stared at each other for another moment before finally shouting in unison. "_You're a lion!_"

"What?!" They both chorused again before turning to examine themselves.

Aqua stared in astonishment as she looked from the bushy tip of her tail to the dangerous looking claws on her paws. Her own blue-white pauldrons pressing comfortably on her shoulders. She moved to stand up, her light blue fur rippling over her new form's powerful muscles. No wonder she had felt so strange, this was the first time she'd ever been turned into an animal just by visiting another world. She audibly gasped when a thought struck her. What if they never turned back to normal? She looked to Terra to see him standing now as well, giving her a quizzical look. "What if we're stuck like this?"

Terra chuckled lightly, his dark brown tail switching to the left. "Relax, we'll be fine."

Aqua blew out an exasperated sigh. Same old Terra, calm, cool and collected as long as they weren't being threatened or attacked. She ignored his reassurance and glared at her right paw. Determined to find a solution, she raised it and flexed the digits to form something akin to a clenched fist... Nothing happened. She then tried giving her left pauldron a pound with her right paw, again nothing happened.

Terra watched her absently and then copied her with the same result. No Keyblade nor armor materialized for either of them. He tilted his head, curious and still perfectly calm.

Aqua though, was starting to panic, still she kept her voice steady. "If we can't summon our Keyblades, then we can't leave..." She didn't want to be stuck in lion form forever, even if she _did_ feel twice as powerful, with so much energy flowing through her veins that she felt like she could run for miles without tiring.

"It's not so bad Aqua, this form is actually pretty cool," Terra said, his powerful legs flexing as he pounced after a bug among the grass, getting a feel for moving around on four limbs.

Aqua scowled at him, her ears flipped back. "Not cool enough for me to want to spend forever in it." Her tail twitched irritably as he ignored her, his attention more focused on the fleeing bug.

She watched him with a frustrated look as he continued to pounce around, testing the movements of his new body. Finally, he caught the bug under cupped paws and sat down, a look of accomplishment in his eyes. Lifting a paw, he let it hop away and turned to look at her, relaxed, as though he had lived in fur his whole life.

With his ears forward, his brown mane draped around his head and chest like royal garb, and his dark eyes glinting with a curious attention, Aqua realized with a start that he actually looked quite handsome in lion form. "You look amazing," that was Terra, and he seemed to be voicing her own thoughts.

"Y-yeah," she replied, a sudden pink appearing on her muzzle, which she imagined was much more noticeable on blue fur. "You too," she managed to add when she realized she had only agreed with his comment.

He was padding over to her with a mischievous spark in his eyes when the earth seemed to shatter in her ears. From seemingly out of nowhere another male lion was charging at them, his eyes wild with pursuit, his ears switched back. Every few steps he would emit that earth shattering roar, and suddenly he was upon them.

* * *

Terra growled from deep down in his throat as the other male approached. Aqua tensed up beside him and he positioned himself between her and the antagonist. He could feel her uneasiness rolling off in waves due to their lack of Keyblades. He rounded his shoulders and lowered his head, preparing to lunge. With this powerful new form he didn't need the Keyblade to fight, he would protect her with tooth and nail.

The charging lion was closer than ever, his expression only seeming to intensify. Terra opened his mouth full of daggers into a threatening snarl and to his surprise Earthshaker appeared in his jaws. He heard Aqua gasp from behind him but didn't spare her a glance as the other male came to a skidding halt only a few feet away from him, kicking up a cloud of dirt and grit as he did so. Terra's muzzle was twisted viciously as he clamped down hard on Earthshaker, just waiting for the other male to make the first move.

He was genuinely perplexed when the other male raised his head, ears forward curiously, and started to speak, his voice wary. "Sora?"

Terra's jaw went slack, and his eyes suddenly lost their intensity as he also raised his head. "What?"

Aqua came up beside him. "You know Sora?"

The newcomer regarded her then, as though he were just now noticing her, and then tilted his head quizzically, probably due to her odd fur color, though he didn't address the matter. "Yes, he helped me a long time ago." He looked to Terra. "He had a weapon like yours, so I thought maybe..."

"We know Sora, but my name is Terra, this is Aqua," Terra said, tipping his head at Aqua. Feeling the danger was over, he lowered Earthshaker to the ground and it disappeared as he sat down.

"I'm Simba, king of the pride lands," the newcomer said, seeming to strike up a regal pose.

Aqua and Terra shared a sidelong glance, both sharing the same thought. _"Really?"_ But Aqua, the peacekeeper, lowered her head somewhat out of respect, urging with another glance for Terra to do the same.

Terra stifled a grumble and did as he was bid, dipping his head slightly in respect. He wasn't about to argue with her about it, not after everything that had happened to them in the previous world. He didn't like submitting to someone he just met, although he knew it was important, since lions were known for being proud and generally demanded respect from everyone, especially the males. But it seemed odd... From what he knew about lions, Simba should have been trying to run Terra out of his territory, which, he guessed, was why Simba was charging at them to begin with.

"Are you two lost?" Simba finally asked, glancing from one to the other sceptically.

Before either of them could reply more lions were approaching. "Simba," one of them called, a lioness.

"Nala," Simba acknowledged, turning towards her and when she reach him they bumped heads affectionately. The other lionesses lining up some distance back.

Now that Simba's pride of lionesses were here, Terra really was expecting him to run them off. Even if Sora _had_ been involved in the past, just because they knew him couldn't erase countless years of instinct.

As a kid Terra always liked lions; powerful, fierce, never backing down. He had even studied up on them a bit, and from what he knew, letting Terra, a fully grown male lion stay, was not normal lion behavior.

The lioness, Nala, finally noted the newcomers, her expression passive though cautious. "Who are they?"

Terra and Aqua introduced themselves again, explained their acquaintance with Sora. "Why are they here?"

"I was just getting to that," Simba said, suspicion lining his tone. "Why _are_ you here?" He was looking at Terra.

Terra and Aqua were silent for a moment, glancing to each other anxiously and at a loss. They couldn't admit that they were simply on an adventure to explore different worlds. And since they hadn't been to this world before then they couldn't pull the _'We're just here to visit friends'_ card either.

"Um, well," Terra started, hoping to come up with a plausible explanation. Thinking back on his studies, he remembered something useful and only hoped Aqua wouldn't completely gut him for what he was about to do. "Well you see, we decided to leave our pride to start our own." Mentally wincing at the statement and ignoring Aqua's icy glare, he stepped over to her, raising his head above hers, hoping to look somewhat dominant. Aqua played along, switching her ears back and kept her head low beneath his, submitting to him, for the moment.

Terra was trying to make a silent statement, just in case Simba was thinking about adding Aqua to his pride. "We were just passing through. If you tell us the quickest route out of your territory, we'll leave immediately."

Simba watched him for a moment, as if deciding to believe the story or not. For an instant, Terra thought he had made the wrong call, but then Simba gave a short nod and began to turn away. "Just head north until you reach that large tree in the distance," he said, throwing his head to gesture which way was north. "Then head west to the desert." He looked at the both of them once more. "I'm sorry for charging at you before, you reminded me of the exile." He turned away completely but then threw over his shoulder, "safe journey, Terra, Aqua. And if you see Sora, say hi for us."

Aqua's ears perked forward and she shouted after the retreating pride. "Goodbye, and thank you!"

Terra rolled his eyes and stepped away. That was Aqua for you, always polite no matter the circumstances.

As soon as the pride was far enough away, Aqua rounded on him. "'_Start our own pride?'_" she jeered at him. "Don't you think I should have been the _first_ person you'd have mentioned that to?" Her voice was jovial but it was obvious she hadn't approved of the story.

Terra's maw twisted into a smirk. "Would you rather I had let him take you?"

Aqua raised her head to sniff obstinately. "He wouldn't have done that."

"How do you know for sure?"

Huffing, she trotted past him, ignoring his question and purposefully swatting his snout with her bushy blue tail. It felt odd running along on four legs, but she only staggered a little at first before catching on quickly and giving her new form a field test.

Terra growled playfully in response and gave chase, though Aqua was faster and pulled away from him with ease, erupting in exhilarating laughter that only spurred him on the more. They were rapidly closing in on the large tree that Simba had pointed out to them as a marker for his territory's boundary, but they were no longer paying attention to boundaries, or the setting sun in a fading sky above. Soon enough they had passed the tree, and panting, Aqua rounded on the male, swatting at him with a sheathed paw before running circles around him. Being so much more nimble she could easily dodge his own strikes and lunges. She was becoming complacent though, and wasn't expecting him to predict her movements when she leaped over him. He caught her forelegs with one paw as she landed and stumbled enough for him to tackle her to the ground.

Terra collapsed with her, too exhausted to voice his triumph, his own breathing labored. His heavy, dark mane was causing him to overheat along with the unforgiving heat of the desert... Wait, desert? Looking around, he suddenly realized how far they had wandered amidst their little game of tag. He marveled at how these bodies could travel so much faster and so much farther before tiring out. Noting the unforgiving landscape though, Terra wished they could return to the plains, where the grass was cool and the breeze didn't kick up hot sand into your face.

He also felt like he was in desperate need of water. These impressive bodies could cover more ground faster but it seemed they also required more sustenance as well. With a growing urgency Terra pushed himself to his paws, eyes darting around for a pool, though the chances of finding water in the desert were slim he knew. He was beginning to feel like he very well might pass out, the heat overwhelming him.

"Terra, what's wrong? Aqua questioned, concern in her voice. Wasn't she feeling the same effects? He looked to see her gazing worriedly at him. She was sitting up now, panting but not on the verge of fainting as he was.

"Water," he huffed, looking back the way they came longingly for a moment before striking out in a desperate, staggering trot.

"Terra!" Surprised, Aqua bolted after him. "We told Simba we would leave."

"But it's getting dark," Terra called over his shoulder, his eyes glancing up to the darkening sky. "I'm about to pass out from thirst and we need to find someplace safe to sleep. I doubt Simba will mind as long as we stay near the border."

Aqua took note of the sun fading in the distance as well as some nasty looking storm clouds far to the east. There was going to be rain and lightning, and lots of it. She suddenly found that she had to agree with him. A night spent on the open desert didn't sound like fun, especially if it meant getting rained on without any type of shelter.

They had mounted a large dune of sand when Terra halted abruptly, his ears forward and eyes shining with excitement. The sand gave way to grass down below the dune and opened up to a lush plain dotted with trees, but most importantly, there was a small pool at the center of a clearing.

Terra nearly bolted for it, the need for water overpowering his awareness, but luckily Aqua was there to intercept and bring him to a halt. She gave her head a toss, silently urging him to take another look at the pond. He did so, and was surprised he hadn't noticed the pair of lions already laying claim to the small watering hole. A dark maned male not unlike himself and a smaller tan female were romping around in the grass below before settling down together near the edge of the water, unaware of Terra and Aqua's presence atop the dune of sand.

Aqua crouched low beside him and stifled her panting. Terra tried to do the same, but he was still so thirsty! Still, he knew they had to determine if the pair below was hostile or not, so he resigned himself to listen, keeping his belly pressed to the ground with his ears aimed forward, his body fidgeting impatiently.

The two strangers were laying on the grass together at the water's edge, gazing down at their reflections. Their intimate positions and gestures confirming their close relationship. "We are one," the male was saying.

Terra cocked his head in confusion. The phrase seemed strange to him. How could two people be one person, unless they were talking about a Nobody and his original, but even then a Nobody wasn't another person, just a product of one. Thoroughly confused, Terra gave up on the notion, pushing it away for contemplation at another time. He noted idly that Aqua was watching the two with an intent curiosity, the turning wheels in her head nearly visible. He couldn't help but wonder if she knew what the phrase meant.

Aqua blinked, thinking that the words sounded an awful lot like her own so many years ago. Remembering when she stood at the threshold of the keyblade graveyard, declaring that, with Ven, the three of them would always be one; that their hearts would always be connected as one, no matter their trials.

"Let's get out of here," the male was talking again. "We'll run away together!" he announced fervently and leaped away from the lioness into a playful pose, his tone turning coy. "And start a pride, _all our own_."

Aqua narrowed her eyes at the comment and she heard Terra shift uncomfortably beside her but didn't turn to him. She didn't let his disturbance distract her, and refocused back on the pair below.

The tan lioness seemed to humor the male for a moment, but quickly turned the matter into a mild debate, making it sound like their two pride's were at war. It was a sad reality. They were in love yet were hopelessly separated by two opposing factions. Aqua thought that it all sounded like some kind of dramatized play, fully equipped with star-crossed lovers and power hungry villains... Though piecing it apart like that, she suddenly realized that her own life had somehow been riddled with such events. Certainly not all in the same order but it had all culminated so in the end.

She was so consumed by her thoughts that when Terra groaned about not being able to wait any longer and leaped down the dune, she was too distracted to stop him and could only call after him. "Terra wait!"

She charged after him and cringed when she noticed the other two were on their feet by the time Terra reached the grass. The other male was growling protectively but Terra was not deterred from his goal and immediately started lapping at the water greedily when he reached the bank. Either he didn't think the other male was a threat or he was simply too thirsty to care if he got his ears clawed off.

"Who are you?" the male demanded, stepping forward and giving Terra a once over. To which Terra merely met his gaze in a sidelong view from his bowed head, never halting in his desperate lapping.

Aqua, ever the diplomat, drew to Terra's side, shooting him an impossible look and a shake of her head before turning to address the strangers. "I apologize for the intrusion." She whipped Terra's ear with her tail, annoyed, though he made no move to retaliate. "We've been on a long journey and haven't had much access to water lately," she explained, turning her full attention back to the pair. "I'm Aqua, and the lunkhead here is Terra."

The other male gave his head a curious tilt and shared a look with the tan female beside him, to which she smiled pleasantly. "I'm Kiara, it's nice to meet you Aqua, Terra."

"Kovu," the male added when she had finished, watching intently as Aqua moved to take her turn at getting a drink from the pond.

"Lunkhead huh?" Terra regarded Aqua with a mutinous glare, raising his head, his thirst finally sated as water dripped from his maw.

Aqua didn't bother to respond, instead choosing to swat him again with her tail. To which Terra eyed menacingly. _'That tail!'_ He had been about to pounce on it when Kovu's voice distracted him. "Where are you two from?"

Terra moved closer to the others, knowing he would have to explain since Aqua was occupied. He hesitated, knowing Aqua wouldn't approve but thinking it best to stick with the same story since it would be inconvenient if they were caught in multiple lies. He met Kovu's steady green gaze, noting absently the fresh claw wound that would soon become a prominent scar scored down his left eye. "We came from very far away, hoping to find our own territory and start our own pride." It felt so cheesy coming out of his mouth and he could practically feel Aqua's claws mentally digging into his backside.

"See?" Kovu's voice was excited as he looked to Kiara expressively. "They've managed to pull it off, so can we!"

"Kovu," Kiara warned lightly, her tone somewhat amused and butted his head affectionately. "Our place his with our pride."

Kovu rolled his eyes as though he had heard it before. "I know, I know." His head drooped but his expression lit up when Kiara gave his maw a lick.

Terra held in a sigh of relief, glad that their story checked out without a hitch. His relief was short lived however, as Aqua drew beside him and sat down, pining him with an unpleasant glare, her tail flipping between them in agitation.

_'So help me, one more swat and she's gonna get it!' _Terra raised a paw to pin it down, his eyes never moving from hers as his paw hovered menacingly in the air in a silent threat, while her own eyes flashed back in an obstinate challenge.

To say Kovu and Kiara were bewildered was an understatement when Terra and Aqua's stalemate exploded into yowls and thrashing before them. For the keybearers it was simply a new outlet to release tension, as they were careful not to score with tooth or claw, but to Kovu and Kiara it appeared as though they had suddenly burst into a fierce scrap with the way they were carrying on.

They grappled and writhed for a time, making all kinds of racket and stirring up quite a cloud of dust. Finally Terra seized Aqua's shoulders and tossed her a ways back. She hissed at him but retreated and leaped up into a nearby tree, and after settling on a thick branch, let her limbs hang loose on either side, a smug look gazing down at him.

Annoyed, Terra reared up and brought both of his giant forepaws to bear on the trunk. He thought he might be able to follow her but he felt to exhausted to attempt it, and didn't feel like wounding his ego by falling out in such an attempt. Turning his back on the tree, he flicked his tail dismissively. "Well, looks like Terra owns the land," he pronounced in third person, swiveling to give her an arrogant smirk. "Enjoy your short reign over the tree."

Aqua narrowed her eyes at him, tail switching, but made no move to retaliate. Feeling content in her tree for the moment.

"What was _that _all about?" Kovu wanted to know, coming forward cautiously with Kiara at his shoulder.

"Hm? Oh, we uh, just have some hierarchy issues," Terra supplied, which earned him a scoff from above. One of his ears followed the sound but he pretended that it didn't effect him. "We're uh, working it out." He was suddenly struck by a twig and had to spin a glare up at the offending tree and its new queen.

Kovu and Kiara shared a dubious glance but didn't press the matter further. Instead, Kovu moved to find a suitable place to sleep, with Kiara padding after him. "Kovu," she spoke to him softly. "We should go back, before something terrible happens."

"Not yet," Kovu pleaded and plopped down in some thick grass. "Can we stay here, just a little while longer? Please?"

Kiara sighed in resignation and curled up beside him. The two dozed contentedly, no longer paying the newcomers any mind.

Terra had listened to their exchange with a hint of curiosity but didn't think too far into there words. Instead, he was thinking sleep was starting to sound really good. His eyelids and body were suddenly feeling very heavy and his limbs suddenly gave way underneath him. He collapsed to the grass beneath Aqua's tree. He wasn't sure if his fatigue was due to the day's exuberance or a lion's natural metabolism requiring a large amount of sleep, maybe it was a bit of both?

He looked up to Aqua, knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep without her beside him; he would only lie awake worrying about her. She was perched up there with an arrogant pose as though she had prerogative over the tree. "Are you coming down or do I have to come up there and get you?"

"That sounds like a threat," she spat, though the amusement danced in her sky blue eyes. She rather wanted to see him try to climb the tree, but also knew the effort would no doubt put him in a bad mood. She couldn't stop the mental image playing through in her mind of his cumbersome bulk trying to lumber up the tree. She stifled a laugh which instead caused her throat to purr loudly as she jumped off her tree-throne. The sound surprised her at first and it felt strange to be emitting such a rumble, though she noted curiously that she was only able to produce the resonance while exhaling.

"I don't think I could survive anymore threats today," Terra remarked, waving a paw at her snout gently when she drew close.

Aqua butted his head in turn before dropping to lay beside him and failed to suppress a shiver. The heat of the desert had faded without her notice and a cold breeze was blowing from the east. She looked up to see the storm clouds had drawn closer but were still a long ways off, though they appeared much darker and foreboding than earlier.

Terra took note of her discomfort and lead her over to the base of the tree where it would hopefully serve as a windbreaker. They curled up together in a tight ball as exhaustion finally took hold and Aqua nuzzled into his thick, warm mane.

Terra did his best to wrap himself around her, his forearms encircling her and his broad head resting on her shoulders. He didn't feel as cold as she obviously did and felt an unyielding urge to shield her from the elements.

Aqua's purring faded when she closed her eyes and they were both asleep within seconds.

* * *

Thunder crackled and ripped across the plains as lightning tore through the dark sky overhead.

Terra and Aqua both jerked awake simultaneously, blinking in confusion and delirium. It felt like they had only just fallen asleep, but with a quick glance upward, Aqua recognized the same dark clouds that had been in the distance, and they were threatening to drop a monsoon on their heads.

Kovu and Kiara were up and alert as well and seeming just as disoriented.

Another thunderclap and flash of lightning split the sky and only seconds later another clap of thunder roared over the land. This time though, no lightning followed, and the foursome exchanged looks of confusion. It was only after a moment of contemplation that Kiara suddenly bolted in the direction of Simba's territory. "That wasn't thunder, that was my father!" She called back to Kovu desperately. "Our pride's are already fighting!"

Kovu was already running at her tail, as frantic as she. "Then we have to stop them!" They pelted at top speed even as the clouds let loose a torrential downpour, the two keybearers long forgotten.

Terra and Aqua shared a look. "I don't think we should get involved," he told her hesitantly, but noting her pleading gaze added, "but we should follow them just in case."

Aqua nodded and chased after the pair on sleepy legs, staggering somewhat as Terra followed close behind, his own loping gate stumbling at first. They were hard pressed to catch up to Kovu and Kiara, as they apparently caught a burst of speed from adrenalin. The pouring rain and striking wind was blasting in their faces and Terra was finding it difficult to keep up, his heavy mane was drenched and weighing him down, and he was still exhausted. Aqua seemed to notice this and slowed her pace, knowing she wouldn't be able to do anything even if she did manage to catch up to the others.

They reached a large chasm where a river seemed to have cut through the earth over countless years, and what they saw on the other side made them freeze in shock. Amid the downpour and the mud a multitude of lionesses were launching themselves at one another and it was impossible to tell one faction from the other. In the middle of it all was Simba, rearing on his hind legs while his mighty forepaws slashed at any who dared oppose him.

Aqua looked upstream to see Kovu and Kiara were mounting a bridge of logs, desperately trying to get to the other side of the chasm. Aqua cringed. The river was swelling from all the rain and at any moment it would burst forth from the dam farther upstream, sweeping the pair away in an instant. She let out a sigh of relief when they leaped to the other side.

She wanted to follow after them but Terra blocked her way, an apologetic expression in his dark eyes. "This isn't our battle, Aqua."

Knowing he was right, Aqua nodded dejectedly. She wanted so much to help, but at this point their interference would only cause confusion, not to mention Simba had already dismissed them from his territory.

The two keybearers sat on the other side of the chasm, the sky pelting them with water as they watched the ferocious battle intensify, only to halt suddenly when Simba circled the leader of the opposing pride, a pale and muddy lioness. When the two looked about to lunge and slash at each other they reigned in their strikes just in the nick of time as Kovu and Kiara leaped in between them, facing their respective leaders fearlessly.

"Kiara is a princess," Aqua realized aloud, sharing a considering look with Terra. As the lions on the other side calmed and the fighting was averted, the rain suddenly ceased and the sun poked through the angry clouds, almost as if the heavens were somehow emotionally connected to the conflict below. Curious.

Aqua tensed when the opposing lioness snarled ferociously and lunged at Simba, only to be tackled into the chasm by Kiara. The dam suddenly burst into pieces and Aqua wanted to leap in after her but was relieved to note that Kiara seemed safe enough on a rocky overhang. The angry lioness however was not so fortunate, losing her grip on the rock-face and falling to her demise in the whirling white water far below.

With the crisis thwarted and Kiara safely back on solid ground with the others, Terra and Aqua turned relieved, tired eyes on one another. "We should go, before Simba notices us," Aqua said as Terra nodded in agreement.

"Aqua," he groaned, his muscles aching and his limbs weak. "When we get to the next world, I just want to sleep."

Aqua purred and nudged his head affectionately. "I agree."

As they prepared to leave, Terra took one last look at the lions melding together as one pride. And he suddenly realized that without such a conflict, there would have never been peace and Kovu and Kiara would have been separated forever.

Through conflict, came peace.

And now there was balance.

* * *

_AN: Check my profile for a link to see the artwork that inspired this chapter, oh and as usual please review if you like._


	8. Bound

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

**Awakening**

_AN: Hopefully it won't bother anyone too much, but I had to create an OC in this chapter, because I just couldn't think of anyone to play his part. _

**Chapter Eight – Bound**

* * *

"_To bind or to be bound is to be inseparable. Always together," Aqua explained, an affectionate glow in her eyes as she regarded the man beside her._

_Terra took a moment to absorb her words and then looked up, realization dawning on his face. "Like us."_

"_Yes." Aqua laughed lightly and smiled brightly at him. "You, Ven and I share an unbreakable connection," she said, holding out her wayfinder. "And in the end we managed to find our way back to each other."_

_Terra pulled his own wayfinder from the pocket at his hip and stared down at it, thinking. "So," he hesitated and then brought his blue gaze up to meet hers. "We're bound."_

_Aqua nodded, her smile never fading as she clasped her wayfinder with his in their hands. "Always."_

* * *

Terra sighed. He was still so very _tired_. His awareness had been foggy at best when he and Aqua had left the land of lions, and was even less attentive when they arrived at the current world. He lay on the ground, in the middle of what appeared to be a forest clearing, not caring that his head was in the dirt. His body just felt so weak and his mind felt like it was crawling along in a sticky mire. He just wanted to lie there and _sleep_! But he felt a stab of annoyance and concern that Aqua was not beside him. Where could she be? Didn't she know how tired he was?

He blinked lazily, a mild attempt to clear his bleary vision. Glancing upward, he noted that the sky was dark and clear, with countless stars shining down and circling a full and lustrous moon.

With his mind slowly coming to, he let recent events flow through his memory. Being a lion had certainly been a blast, but oh how it had taken it out of him! He suddenly wished he had paced himself more responsibly. But then, Aqua had been just as active as he, so why didn't she seem as exhausted? His thoughts once again turned back to his companion and he felt irritation spike all the way down his spine, causing his tail to switch. Wait... Tail?! With a sudden burst of energy, his head swimming, Terra was on his feet and staring down at two familiar forepaws, though they seemed somewhat different... Were those stripes? He glanced around for a body of water and located a large lake not far away. He bounded over to it and as he peered into the clear pool, his reflection stared back as a fierce orange-brown tiger. He sighed, his countenance drooping along with his ears. "A cat... _Again._"

Something akin to laughter came from behind and a brilliant blue creature stepped up beside him to peer into the water as well. Terra gasped, taking in its radiance, a perfect hybrid of scale and fur. "You're a dragon!"

Aqua stared into her reflection with a slight cant of her head, her crystalline blue eyes staring right back, her serpent-like snout scrunched up and unimpressed. She didn't have any wings which dragon's were known for. She thought she looked more like a furry snake with four legs than an actual dragon. "Yes but it doesn't really suit me does it?" She turned to face the tiger, the tuft of blue fur which crowned her head trembled with the motion as it trailed down her wingless spine all the way to the tip of her tail. "You're still handsome in that form, stripes or no," she teased him, a playful humor in her voice as she touched the tip of her snout to his ear.

Terra regarded her with a whither look, and not at all feeling up to responding to her instigation. He turned toward a soft patch of grass and sluggishly moved over to collapse there, hoping his lack of a reply would be enough to make his point.

Aqua followed him, a look of concern on her reptilian features but she didn't voice her inquiry. Instead opting to curl up with him on the ground, their heads resting on each others flanks and unknowingly forming a sacred symbol with their bodies.

They hadn't been lying there for very long and Terra felt himself just starting to doze off when his ears flipped back, detecting a disturbance in the forest around them. Slowly, he raised his head, his eyes protesting as he forced them open. He felt Aqua shift as well, her attention drawn to the noise.

His mind was so clouded with sleep, or rather the desire for it, that he wasn't as alert to the danger as he probably should have been. Thus when he heard some murmurings through the trees and an indistinct shout, he was not at all prepared when a large black net was launched at them from somewhere in the darkness.

He gave a startled roar and Aqua let out a frightened noise, something between a yelp and a howl. They had once again been caught in a net, though this time it didn't shock them into unconsciousness or confine them so tightly that it restricted all movement. It was however, made of some kind of material resistant to shredding by tooth and claw, as Terra was discovering all too quickly.

He was on his feet, tearing at the net and roaring furiously as what appeared to be numerous soldiers with torches gathered around. He was suddenly so _angry_! Blood was pumping through his veins with such an intensity that his former exhaustion was suddenly forgotten completely. The torches flashed in his eyes wildly, reflecting his blazing anger dangerously as his bared teeth gleamed red by the flickering light. Why were they doing this? Why couldn't they just leave them alone? He felt the dark fires within him burning forth, demanding release, and he eyed the closest soldier with a flash of hostility.

It wasn't until Aqua nudged him gently, a warning in her worried gaze, that he realized he was trembling with anticipation. He was aware of the urge to shred and maul at the fore of his thoughts and he tried desperately to press it down, to smother it. But they were pushing him too far. He and Aqua hadn't been hurting or bothering anyone; these soldiers had no right to capture them.

A soldier came forth atop a white horse, a commander no doubt, and began bellowing orders to the soldiers gathered around. One soldier was apparently given the grim duty of hooking a thick tendril to their net.

Terra noticed what the man intended and he resounded a low, menacing growl in anticipation, absently feeling Aqua tense beside him.

When the soldier got too close, Terra snarled viciously and lunged, his deadly claws just missing the man as he fell backward in terror. He hadn't intended to hurt him, only to frighten him. But Aqua snapped at him reproachfully, her sharp teeth catching the thick fur around his neck. Terra rounded on her with another snarl but his anger almost instantly melted when he realized what he'd done. His fur began to lie flat, his face relaxed and his ears came forward. "I'm sorry." The constant rumbling growl he had been emitting ceased and he nudged Aqua's head in apology. His furious anger ebbing into a dormant frustration. "I'm sorry," he repeated wretchedly into her neck.

"It's alright Terra," she cooed at him soothingly. "If they were going to hurt us, they'd have done it already." She nuzzled his neck fur comfortingly. "We can escape later, but for now we should stay calm." He sighed in resignation and Aqua pressed against him further.

It astounded her really, how he could lose control so easily when they were threatened. She really needed to address the matter with him later. Although she would have to allow him some exceptions, since he _did_ seem extremely exhausted and no doubt hungry. Those conditions would make anyone temperamental. She hoped they would have a chance to eat and sleep wherever it was they were being taken. Because they were certainly being transported somewhere, as an enclosed cart was brought forth by a team of horses, all of them fidgeting nervously when the predators were loaded into the cart. They were _not_ happy about having to pull a load that had the potential of eating them.

Terra looked up and sighed when the cart's door closed, Aqua shifting beside him. He couldn't even see the stars anymore, the roof of the cart blocking his view and closing them in on all sides, leaving them in darkness.

He felt his body give out, the fight literally sucked out of him.

* * *

Terra and Aqua didn't struggle, didn't attack their captors as they were dragged by the net and deposited onto the brick floor with three walls of bars around them and one single brick wall behind them. Terra sneered. A cage. Pretty soon he wouldn't be able to count how many times they had been thrown into a cell on one hand... er, paw.

There was moonlight pouring in from a window in the brick wall behind them, and there were wild animals in the cages on either side of theirs. On one side, another tiger paced back and forth the length of bars separating their cells, a low growl emanating from him as he inspected the newcomers menacingly. On the other side, an enormous, lumbering brown bear towered above them on his hind legs, and although he merely eyed them curiously, Terra was very much thankful for the metal bars keeping him in his own cage and out of theirs.

The third wall of bars faced the hallway that ran the expanse of the building and also housed the door to their cage, to which the four soldiers that had hauled the net were filing through. All but one. Terra turned his full attention to the sudden commotion at the gate of their cell. The door had been suddenly shut and latched as the last of the soldiers howled in protest, vainly shaking the door and causing it to rattle unpleasantly.

"What's going on? Let me out!" the soldier pleaded, panic flooding his voice. Terra noted curiously that he sounded very young, still a teenager he guessed.

"You will release them from the net," a harsh voice responded from the other side of the gate, and Terra recognized the man that was presumably a commander from their capture.

"But they'll kill me!" the boy screeched, turning a terrified glance to the predators in the cage with him. His eyes were pale blue, and his hair was dark blonde. Terra stifled a gasp as the boy suddenly reminded him of Ventus. He felt Aqua move forward, her head raised and aimed at the disturbance with an intent interest as well.

"You are a soldier to the Emperor," the commander bellowed coldly. "You took an oath to die for him if needed, now prove you're loyalty or die by my sword." The man dropped a couple of stones to the floor at the boy's feet.

Aqua raised her snout, sniffing the air curiously as her nostrils somehow detecting flint and pyrite. Fire-starters? She couldn't understand how that could release them from the net... Not safely anyway.

Slowly, the boy picked up the stones and hesitated when he looked to the tiger and dragon, flinching and staggering toward them when the commander shouted at him to get moving. The boy's entire body trembled as he moved closer to the beasts still trapped in the net, the stones shaking in his hands.

Aqua gave Terra a nudge, warning him not to scare the boy any further, but she needn't have bothered. He was as still as she, fascinated by the commander's orders and wondering how a couple of stones were going to release their bonds when his own dagger-like claws and teeth had no effect.

They both watched curiously and backed away cautiously when the boy started to strike the rocks together, aiming the sparks that occurred at a certain spot on the net. Aqua caught a flash of anxiety when the net started burning and moved toward them like snakes, only to relax when the "snakes" died and the burned portion fell away from the rest, leaving an opening for them to escape. Apparently the remainder of the net was made of some kind of fire-resistant material. Clever.

The boy instantly skittered back to the door, shaking it fervently once again. "Ok, it's done! Now let me out!"

"Afraid not," the commander scoffed. "We can't risk their escape. But don't worry, you're sacrifice will be recorded." He nodded to two soldiers and marched away as they took up positions as guards on either side of the door.

"What?" the boy screeched after him, chancing a glance behind him, his eyes growing even wider as the beasts extracted themselves from the net. "Please let me out!"

Aqua watched the exchange in shock. She was sure this was not standard military protocol, but really, when she thought about it, it was the easiest way to release such wild animals, (or creatures rather, since she didn't think dragons fell under the same category as animals) without risking their escape or sedating them. Apparently they were worth a lot to afford such a sacrifice.

"Try not to scare him, Terra," Aqua murmured, finally ridding herself of the binding net. "And don't eat him either," she added with a chuckle, which sounded really strange coming out of a dragon's throat.

Terra rolled his eyes and gave her a _look_. He wasn't about to frighten or hurt anyone that wasn't a threat. He felt beaten and insignificant as he sat down and merely watched with disinterest as the boy trembled and whimpered near the gate, crawling backward into the corner to get as far away from them as possible. That was a mistake though, and Terra found himself rising to all four paws without really realizing it. The other tiger snarled furiously and leaped at the boy now pressed against his cell. Terra was there in an instant, roaring back and intercepting the antagonist before he could catch the boy with his deadly claws. He would have ripped him to shreds, bars or no, if Terra hadn't intervened.

The boy screamed and jumped away from the two big cats, now snarling and posturing at each other through the bars. He had however, obviously forgotten about the other creature in the cell with him and flinched when Aqua drew beside him.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently, not really knowing if he could understand her or not, but figuring it was worth a try to communicate with him.

The boy gaped at her for a moment, his mouth opening and closing like a petrified fish before finally forming a reply. "Y-you can talk?"

Aqua nodded her head ever so slightly and noted curiously that the guards were giving the boy an odd look. Almost as though they hadn't heard her voice. Strange.

The boy was trembling again as Terra approached, one final insult snapped over his shoulder at the other striped beast. He brought his ears forward and sat down a few feet from Aqua and the boy. "Is he ok?"

"You can talk too!"

The guards turned to him fully this time. "Quiet kid, no one is talking but you, it's just your mind playing tricks on you."

"But they did!" the boy insisted, pointing at Terra as he once again crawled backward in fear.

Terra rolled his eyes and leaped at the boy, who was just then about to crawl up against the bear's enclosure. He didn't exactly feel like fending off the giant brute. The boy screamed and waved his hands wildly in front of him, as though that would do any good against tooth and claw. "Take it easy kid, we won't hurt you."

The boy was starting to hyperventilate and it took him a minute to realize that Terra had stepped off of him. "You- You what?" He sat up, his arms supporting him as Terra lazily moved across the cell to a large bowl with water.

"We won't hurt you," Aqua repeated and moved closer to give the boy's blond head a nudge with her snout. "My name is Aqua, and he's Terra." Throwing his head in their direction with a brief greeting Terra bowed his head to drink.

"I'm Wentai," the boy said reflexively but quickly shook his head of the weirdness of talking to animals. "Wait a second, how are you talking, and why am I still alive?" He ignored the annoyed sounds from the guards and they in turn promptly gave up trying to convince him that the beasts certainly were not talking.

Terra returned to Aqua side, noting with a mild aggravation that the boy was still trembling at him. "Look, kid, if I was going to hurt you, I'd have done it already. And I sure wouldn't have stood up to that savage over there either."

"Who's the savage?" Aqua interjected, her reptilian features displaying a wry amusement.

Terra sighed, exasperated but knowing exactly what she was getting at. He knew his display in the forest clearing had been unacceptable. "Aqua, I was tired, and they were attacking us for no reason. How would you have me react?"

They argued for awhile and Wentai watched, fascinated as his eyes moved from one to the other as they spoke. His fear had suddenly subsided and he interrupted their discussion, his right hand reaching out timidly. "Would it be ok if I pet you?"

Much to Terra's chagrin, the question had been directed at him and he couldn't help the biting tone he replied with. "I'm no one's pet, you little-"

"Terra," Aqua chided gently.

She pressed her head under the boy's palm and gave Terra a look that made him mutter the remainder of his rant under his breath. "-hardened warrior, not some fluffy house-cat." He came forward grudgingly and briefly allowed the boy to scratch his chin, which felt sort of good oddly enough. Suddenly disgusted with himself, Terra moved away to curl up on the cold brick floor. Maybe now he could finally get some sleep!

He felt a surge of satisfaction when Aqua pried herself away from the teen's touch and moved to join him on the floor. The feeling was short lived as he noted with irritation that the boy had followed her after a brief hesitation. Were they making it a hobby to adopt blond teenagers these days?

Wentai settled himself between them and Terra had to force himself not to grumble his disapproval aloud. This would be really awkward if he and Aqua were still in human form, but even in their current forms it still seemed awkward to him. He was both annoyed and surprised by Wentai's sudden change in temperament, though he could hardly blame the boy, what with the way Aqua was fawning over him like a mother hen. He figured she was starting to feel homesick and nostalgic for Ventus.

The three of them were settling for sleep when a clamor came from down the hall of cells, the sound of many footsteps approaching quickly. Two men came into view, flanked by what seemed to be a squad of soldiers.

Terra and Aqua raised their heads to see that same commander step forth, followed at the shoulder by a skinny, pathetic existence of a man, his nose in the air as he stared down his long, unattractive face to examine the captives inside the cell in front of him. Aqua tipped her head curiously, noting the man's official looking garb and arrogant expression. She thought he looked like some kind of pompous diplomat or royal advisor.

"Why did you bother bringing the tiger?" the arrogant man questioned. "Dispose of him immediately, the Emperor has no need for more of them and I don't want to risk him harming our precious dragon."

The commander from before was suddenly very concerned. "But my lord!" he began urgently. "This is no ordinary tiger!" He waved his hands at the cage fervently. "Look how they don't attack the boy, or even each other. It's far too unusual, and my tamers tell me they've never seen the like of it."

The advisor crossed his arms and regarded the commander with hardly a sliver of patience. "Get to the point."

"Well, my lord, this is still purely speculation, but we believe," he swallowed nervously, glancing between the beasts and his superior. "We believe they may very well be Yin and Yang in physical form."

The advisor's eyes grew wide at that, his jaw hanging loose uselessly for a long moment as he turned to gaze at the tiger and dragon in awe. The value of such a capture was instantly multiplied by a thousand in his mind. "Neither of them is to be harmed!" he barked at everyone in the area. "I want four guards stationed at the cell at _all_ times and triple the patrol rates." He turned and marched down the hall with a sudden urgency before calling back to the commander. "And keep them well fed!" No one except Terra heard him murmur to himself afterward. "With this I should finally get promoted back to my original position!"

Terra felt his face contort into a scowl. So they were mere tools to be used by a corrupted politician to gain prominence. Well, he wasn't about to put up with such nonsense. Although, it didn't sound like they were to be harmed, and though their accommodations were lousy, the opportunity to rest safely and the mention of food was tempting. Perhaps staying for a little while would be alright.

* * *

Terra woke up to a clattering racket, the scent of raw meat making his mouth water pleasantly, which was actually quite disturbing when he thought about it. He blinked his eyes clear of sleepiness and looked to the door to see a soldier push a tin platter through a thin opening between the bars and the brick floor. Terra stood up, causing Wentai to shift to the floor and wake as well.

Terra stretched his limbs and yawned, feeling much better after some much needed sleep. He trotted over to the platter, his legs felt powerful and rejuvenated as they propelled him forward, and sniffed the various raw meats displayed there.

His metabolism was telling him to eat and his stomach growled loudly, but he scrunched up his nose and took a step back. He looked up to see the soldier that had delivered the platter was watching him closely. Good. With one paw, Terra tossed the platter away, unintentionally towards the other tiger, whom snarled savagely and swiped at the meat through the bars, trying to pull what he could into his own cell.

The sudden commotion stirred Aqua to wakefulness and she called to him groggily. "Terra, who are you terrorizing now?"

Terra sent a sneer her way, his mood plummeting as his stomach growled more furiously. "Trying to get us some decent food."

"But you're a tiger." Wentai rubbed his eyes and cautiously went to inspect the meats on the floor. "You mean you don't like this stuff?"

Terra seemed to have a permanent glare fixed on his feline features as he regarded the boy. "I require my meat cooked, thank you."

Wentai cocked his head to one side, mouth hanging open somewhat in bewilderment. He shook his head and looked to the soldier that had delivered the platter. "You'll have to cook it for them, or they won't eat it."

The soldier stood there, arms crossed and looking rather miffed that he would have to retrieve more food. He waved a lazy gesture. "They'll eat it when they get hungry enough."

Before the soldier could even take one step away Terra charged at him and slammed into the metal bars with a vicious roar that sent all the guards in the area stumbling backward in fright. The targeted soldier was on his rump, being thrown from his feet by the mere threat of Terra's assault. His tail was whipping furiously, eying the man on the ground as though he considered eating _him_, though his maw was pulled back into a complacent smirk.

Wentai stepped forward with a smug look of his own, arms crossed. "Somehow I get the feeling they won't."

"Alright, alright!" the soldier complied, hands in the air defensively as he stood and took off down the hall.

"Tell him to add some vegetables too," Aqua said as she came forward and Terra and Wentai gave her an incredulous look. "Well since we're putting in special orders and all," she explained herself with a shrug.

"They want veggies too!" Wentai hollered down the hall. He turned to the two beasts, head tipped to the side once again. "You two are really weird."

"If we weren't," Terra said without missing a beat. "We'd have eaten you already."

"Good point." The blond seemed to ponder something for a moment. "Say, why do you suppose I'm the only one that can hear you two?"

"Because you're crazy!" one of the guards barked at him, clearly fed up with hearing the boy's one-sided conversations. The boy merely stuck out his tongue in reply.

Aqua thought about the matter for a moment, rightly ignoring the guard's disturbance. "Maybe it has something to do with an open mind, or a strong will?"

"Or an overactive imagination," Terra muttered, his eyes averted down the hall. Where was his food? He was so hungry!

Aqua and Wentai continued their discussion while Terra continued to peer down the hall earnestly, thinking that if he just focused hard enough maybe his food would appear out of nowhere.

Instead of the soldier with food, someone _did _appear at the end of the hall. That same diplomat from before, only this time instead of the commander, an old man accompanied him. The old man had a long, white beard that Terra was sure to rival Merlin's. His large, white brows were drawn together in a serious though gentle expression. His robes flowed around him as he moved, the various golds and reds flashing brilliantly whenever any sort of light reflected off them. The two men were also flanked by a squad of soldiers.

"Your Majesty," the skinny man began with a flourish when they reached the cage. "May I present your very own, Yin and Yang in physical form."

The guards and even Wentai all fell to their knees, foreheads pressed to the floor as the elder stepped before them. "The Emperor," Wentai gasped, chancing a glance to Terra and Aqua. "You guys must be really important if he's here to see you."

"Chi-Fu," the Emperor addressed the pathetic little man without looking at him, his attention on the creatures in the cell. "What makes you think these two are Yin and Yang." His dark eyes studied Terra and he stared right back, his cobalt blue eyes narrowed, cool and calculating. The man then turned to meet Aqua's gaze and she simply tipped her reptilian head at him, curious and patient. "We have seen dragons before, and tigers are hardly a rarity, so what makes these two so special?"

"W-well your Majesty," Chi-Fu stuttered nervously. "They were found together, and as the legend goes, Yin and Yang are bound together."

"I know the legend," the Emperor snapped, though his voice was as steady as before. "Everyone, leave us. I wish to speak with them alone."

"B-but your Majesty, they do not speak-"

"Chi-Fu," the Emperor spoke carefully, his dark eyes resting on the little man dangerously. "Leave."

"Ah, o-of course your Majesty, at your command." Chi-Fu skittered away, the squad and the four guards following after him down the hall.

"He was wrong you know," Wentai spoke up, his head just barely turned up from his place on the ground.

"Excuse me?" The Emperor regarded the boy, perhaps for the first time, with a hint of curiosity in his eyes and voice. He made a gesture for the boy to rise. "What's your name child?"

"Wentai, your Majesty," the boy said, waving a hand at Terra and Aqua as he slowly rose to a kneeling position and made a face. "They _can_ talk. But only I can understand them."

"Is that so?" The Emperor had a gentle expression now, his dark eyes roving around at the three captives. "Well? Did they happen to mention if they were the legendary Yin and Yang?"

"No," the boy responded, genuinely confused as he pointed at the great beasts in turn. "This is Terra and that's Aqua."

"Terra and Aqua?" The Emperor pondered the names for a moment. "Earth and water, these are simply _elements_ of Yin and Yang."

Terra released a loud, impatient sigh. "How much longer is this gonna take? I'm starving here!" He started pacing the length of their cell, not entirely unlike the tiger in the cell next to them.

He was unaware of the startled expression on the Emperor's face and was caught off guard when he directed his next comment to him. "Yin is yielding and passive, both of which you do not seem to possess, Terra."

Terra shot the old man a searching look and tried to ignore Aqua's stifled laughter. "You understood me?"

The Emperor chuckled. "Yes."

"Your Majesty," Aqua cut in abruptly and dipped her head respectfully. If he could understand her then she certainly had something to say to him. "You seem like a just ruler, so I'm sure you would find it appalling that this soldier was left to be sacrificed just to ensure we would not escape."

The emperor looked to the boy in question, not with surprise but rather a hint of regret as his white brows furrowed. "Indeed, it seems corruption is always closer to one than one realizes." He looked down the hall objectively, eyes narrowed. "Chi-Fu will be demoted for this."

"Speaking of escape," Terra began as he drew to face the Emperor. "Can you get us out of here?"

The man hummed thoughtfully for a moment, eying the two beasts carefully as though deciding something. "You may roam freely in my palace under two conditions."

Aqua and Terra shared a glance and they both nodded for him to continue.

"You will behave yourselves around my servants for one," he told them sternly and then added, "and stay until the new years festival to perform a very special dance for the parade. Think of it as a favor to me for releasing you."

The keybearers shared another look, one of confusion. "Dance?" Terra queried. "Why would you need us for a dance?" Last time he checked, tigers didn't dance.

"It's more of a martial arts sort of dance between a tiger and dragon; the oldest of its kind," the Emperor explained patiently. "We usually just have actors in costumes act out the dance, but my people would love to see the real thing for once."

"I don't understand something," Aqua cut in again, blue eyes shining with a bright intelligence. "Why would you allow us to roam free until then? How do you know we won't run off?"

The Emperor chuckled with good humor, his own eyes flashing back knowingly as he gestured at their cell. "I have a feeling a cage as crude as this would not have held either of you any longer than you would have desired it to. You may not be Yin and Yang, but I can tell your purpose is of a higher caliber than this."

"We agree to your terms," Terra announced, and Aqua nodded her agreement. Terra tried to ignore the annoyed look she gave him for speaking without talking it over with her first, but really there was nothing to discuss. Stay in this dingy cell or lounge around in a fancy palace and eat good food all day? Sure they had to perform some ridiculous dance but it sounded like a fair trade to him!

"When is the festival?" Aqua wondered.

"Two days from now," the Emperor answered. "You will both need to practice the dance until then, and a royal tamer will be assigned to become acquainted with you, as he will be joining you during the parade in order to make a show of control for the crowd."

"Wentai should be our handler," Terra opted suddenly. "We're already comfortable with him."

"As you wish," the older man allowed, eyes resting on the boy. "He will need to practice with you then."

* * *

After Terra had finally eaten to his satisfaction and slept in a nice, cushy palace chamber, he, Aqua and Wentai did as they were bid and practiced their dance together in a courtyard within the palace. The dance was more complicated than Terra had originally thought, though he welcomed the challenge and quickly related it to the skills he had already mastered as a swordsmen.

When the day had drawn dark and both he and Aqua stood facing each other, panting from exertion, Wentai fell onto his back in a dramatic display much like another blond they knew. "That's it, I'm done," the boy gasped, his own breath heavy from exhaustion, as he was expected to maneuver around them as they danced.

On their way back to their sleeping quarters, to which Terra and Aqua shared one and Wentai had his own, they came across a couple soldiers and Wentai suddenly bowed to them fervently. "General Shang and Mulan, the Hero of China!"

The two soldiers waved his praises away modestly and drew their attention to the two curious creatures beside him. "This is Terra and Aqua," the boy introduced. "Honored guests of the Emperor, and they will be performing the Tiger-Dragon dance in the festival this year!"

"It's an honor to meet you both," Mulan greeted pleasantly, nodding to each of them. Her black hair swayed with the movement and her dark brown eyes drew over Terra and Aqua carefully. Her attire seemed rather dull for someone considered to be the Hero of China, though she carried a sword at her hip and a curious white emblem hung from her neck. She was a head shorter than the man beside her, who was fully clad in gold armor and a red cape billowing behind him. Shang's eyes were as dark as his hair and he too carried a sword at his hip. A similar emblem hung around his neck, only his was black. "The Emperor has briefed us on the matter," Mulan continued in her infectious, friendly voice. "Shang and I will be stationed on either side of your performance during the parade as added security."

Aqua absently studied their pendents for a moment, thinking that they looked like they might fit into one piece if pressed together. "Do you suspect a disturbance?" Aqua assumed the two would be able to understand her, as they appeared to have a strong will, or imagination as Terra had suggested.

Mulan shook her head and shrugged her shoulders sheepishly, oddly enough not seeming at all startled by a talking dragon. "There's no telling for sure, with so many people gathered in one place, anything could happen."

"Better to prepare for the worst than be caught off guard," Shang said, nodding to the tiger and dragon. He too didn't seem the least bit disturbed by such unusual creatures. "We look forward to your performance."

The two heroes of China departed and Mulan smiled warmly and waved as they went.

As the threesome continued down the hall toward their quarters, Aqua couldn't help but notice how quiet Terra had become all of a sudden, but after a moment she figured he was just tired from their training.

Upon reaching their shared chamber Aqua followed Terra inside, watching briefly as Wentai ran off down the hall, spouting something about dinner. She blinked after him, astounded at how the blond reminded her of Ventus. Pushing the boy out of her thoughts she drew beside Terra, catching his gaze and noted that mischievous glint in his eyes. Before he could pounce on her though, she was making a break for the bed and he was right after her, leaving the door open behind him. She was laughing as she reached the "safety" of the bed and collapsed there, Terra was upon her in seconds, his forepaws braced on either side of her head.

Her laughter died down and she turned onto her back, facing him and pressing a forepaw of her own against his face. "Terra, don't make this weird," she told him with a chuckle.

Terra growled playfully in response, pretending to bite at her offending paw before sighing in resignation and dropping to lay against her in a most inappropriate way. "I'm so sick of these forms Aqua," he admitted in an exhausted, forlorn tone as he buried his muzzle into her neck. "I just want to be able to kiss you again."

Aqua sputtered incoherently in response. She honestly didn't know what to do or say in that instant. He was rightly laying on top of her and she could hardly do much of anything else except lie there for a moment and let her mind recover to form a proper reply. To be honest, she was really starting to miss her human body as well. Being anything else just didn't seem _right_. "Just one more day Terra, then we can leave, I promise."

Terra sighed against her neck, his warm breath causing a shiver to run down her spine and she tensed against him. "I know," he grumbled, as though he were annoyed for having to complete a grueling chore.

"Hey." She nudged his head to get him to look at her and he sluggishly raised his head to do so, his dark eyes reflecting weariness. "I know it's a pain, but I really want to fulfill the Emperor's wish. He's a kind ruler and he deserves our cooperation."

Aqua couldn't tell if Terra was smirking or sneering down at her, it was really hard to tell on a tiger's face. His tone was playful as he butted her snout with his head. "You are such a girl."

Aqua was about to retort when a voice came from the doorway. "Am I, interrupting something?" It was Wentai and he held a large platter of food in his hands. He stood stock-still in the doorway and was staring at their curious positions on the bed with a raised brow.

Terra rolled his eyes and shifted his weight to allow Aqua her escape from beneath him. On top of everything, Wentai seemed to share Ven's incredibly horrible timing. Terra idly thought that if they had been in human form he would have remembered to shut and lock the door behind him. Although, thinking on the matter, there would be a _lot_ of things different right now if they were in human form. For one thing he knew he would be kissing Aqua, and she would still be on the bed with him, intruder or not.

Aqua trotted over to the boy and thanked him, giving his cheek an affectionate lick as he set the food on the floor. "I'll just, uh, leave you two alone then," Wentai said nervously, appearing to sense Terra's irritation from across the room. The boy made his exit and was sure to shut the door behind him.

"Wonderful, Terra." Aqua rolled her eyes and sniffed at the dinner presented to her. "Now he thinks we're involved in some sort of creepy, inter-species courtship."

"You can explain it to him tomorrow," he told her as he padded over for his share of the food. "It's not like it'll complicate matters any if he knows we're actually human."

Aqua shot him an odd look. "And what, pray tell, am I explaining to him exactly?"

Terra met her skeptical expression by suddenly crouching into a play bow, a suggestive twinkle in his eye. "That's up to you."

* * *

The next day flew by in a blur, and Terra was thankful for it. He couldn't wait to get this whole ordeal over and done with and move on to the next world, where he _would_ be human again. If nothing else he would will to be so.

They had trained all morning and half the afternoon before deciding to rest for a few hours before the parade was to begin, with them at the fore... It seemed that their "dance" was to be the main event this year.

"The Emperor will be riding on a protected platform pulled by two teams of four horses on both sides and right behind you in the parade," Wentai informed them as attendants fussed over his tamer's outfit.

"The horses are going to love that," Terra remarked flatly, flicking an ear at an attendant currently fitting some sort of accessory to his flank. "How far away will we be stationed?"

"Not far," Wentai replied. "Shang and Mulan have to be able to protect the Emperor as well as regulate the crowd from pressing in on us."

The three performers were gathered in a small tent, preparing for the imminent event, each with an attendant hovering over them as the crowd outside steadily gathered with a din of excitement.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Aqua commented as a servant fixed an attachment to her flank similar to Terra's. It was a lightweight harness with the sole purpose of anchoring two strips of blue, weightless fabric. She guessed it would trail and flow behind her as she moved.

"You're the one that insisted we follow through with this ridiculous charade," Terra replied snidely, giving his own black fabric "tails" a dubious look as the servants departed.

"I know but," Aqua said, swallowing thickly as she took a peek outside through the tent flap. "There's so many people."

"What's this?" Terra's tone held a teasing mischief. "Does Aqua have stage fright?"

"Of course not," Aqua spat, giving him a bothered look before turning back to the opening. "I'm just concerned about the security of the crowd. What if someone panics because we're so... unrestrained?"

"It'll be alright," Wentai reassured her with a warm smile. "The people trust our Emperor, and they know he would never willingly put them in any danger. As long as I'm out there to at least make a show of control, the crowd will not question it."

"Don't worry Aqua." Terra stepped closer, a cool confidence in his blue eyes. "Our entrance is going to be loud and obnoxious. If anything is going to happen, it's going to happen at the start, when we have a chance to take control of the situation."

"That's right," Wentai agreed with a nod. "After your entrance the rest of our performance should go smoothly."

"And after it's over with, we're free to go," Terra said, his tail whipping excitedly and his eyes flaring with expectation.

Aqua smiled and nodded in agreement but frowned when she noticed Wentai's shoulders droop. "I'm-" the boy paused, not looking at either of them. "I'm never going to see you again, am I?"

Aqua shared a look with Terra, and he merely shrugged, an apologetic expression on his face as he regarded the boy silently. Aqua moved to nudge the blond's torso with her head, her voice solemn. "You'll see us again," she promised gently. "Though the next time we come to visit, we may not... look the same."

"Hopefully," Terra put in. "We better not, that is."

Aqua shot him an annoyed look before turning back to the boy. "It may be a long time before we return," she started slowly. "But we'll have an easier time finding you if you stay in touch with General Shang and Mulan."

Wentai nodded, a gleam in his eyes as he embraced Aqua around the neck. Terra hung back from the interaction. He liked the kid, but they had only known him for a short time, and he wasn't Ven. Though he felt somewhat guilty when the boy's gaze passed over him with a flash of hurt in his pale blue eyes.

A servant suddenly poked his head through the tent flap, telling them that the parade was about to begin. The trio nodded to each other and stood together, listening as the noise of the crowd was growing with anticipation.

The Emperor's platform came to a stop right in front of their tent and they were led by another servant into the cavity underneath the platform, where they waited for another moment. A low pounding began somewhere behind them, along with other musical instruments as the crowd chorused a shout of excitement. The parade would commence in a matter of seconds and Aqua felt her heart pounding hard in her chest; perhaps she _was_ suffering from a hint of stage fright... She heard the horses nearby pawing at the ground and making nervous sounds themselves, feeling their anxiety spike when they caught the scent of predators in the vicinity.

Something heavy thumped behind them, and Aqua turned to see a large anchor of some kind had been lodged into the ground. She guessed it was to keep the platform from moving when they made their entrance and startled the horses. Things had really been thought out to the letter, and she realized that Wentai was right. The Emperor really did think of everything when it came to the safety of his people.

Suddenly invigorated with a desire to give the Emperor her best performance, Aqua crouched down in anticipation, a determined look on her face as Terra poised himself beside her. An attendant moved in front of them and pulled at a panel in the wall, sliding it out of the way and creating an opening for them to enter the wide and empty street. The music suddenly stopped and the people grew quiet; it was time.

Silently, Wentai took a deep breath and exited first, a long, golden staff in his right hand as he stepped out into the hushed roadway. He turned back to the platform and the gaping dark chamber beneath and raised his arms into the air grandly.

That was their signal, Terra and Aqua launched themselves forward in that instant and the crowd gasped in wonder before the duo exploded into a furious roar that lasted only a few seconds but among such silence seemed like much longer. The horses nearby shrieked with terror but there were hostlers stationed there to soothe them and they calmed once the shock had faded.

Terra lunged at Aqua and she jumped over him in turn, thus beginning their elaborate dance. The music in the background immediately started up again as cheers of excitement erupted from the crowd all around in response.

The rest of the parade was alive behind them now, active and causing all manner of noise and commotion, but Terra and Aqua ignored it. They were focused only on each other and the steps they had memorized, responding to each others movements as though they had practiced it all their lives. Leaping, ducking, striking, dodging, constantly rounding and circling on each other, like the center of a twister, always in motion. Wentai maneuvered around them expertly, always moving, always making gestures and brandishing his staff as though he were giving commands for them to follow.

Their black and blue respective attachments flowed behind them beautifully, making it appear as though they possessed some sort of mystic spirit energy which trailed behind them. Aqua noted absently that Shang and Mulan had taken up their positions and were flanking them on either side astride their respective white and black horses, both of which seemed oddly calm in the presence of predators.

The procession carried on for a long time, so long that Aqua's muscles felt like they were on fire and she didn't think Terra was fairing any better. She was beginning to wonder how much longer they would be able to keep this up when she noticed how the road ended abruptly not far ahead. Buildings gave way to trees on either side and the path narrowed and slanted upward onto what appeared to be a mountain trail.

Aqua couldn't withhold a sigh of relief and she missed a step, stumbling slightly, but Terra noticed in time and quickly compensated. When they reached the end of the road Wentai stopped in front of them, his back to the mountain path as he knelt before them, his staff set on the ground at his knee. Terra and Aqua in turn came out of their trance-like state and crouched side-by-side, facing the boy, panting from exhaustion.

As if on a silent cue, Aqua moved forward and Terra was only a step behind her as she bumped the boy's right shoulder and Terra imitated with his left. Even though he was justified to feel no attachment to the kid, he still felt bad for avoiding their proper farewell earlier; he hoped this silent exchange would be enough for him.

The parade and the crowd fell silent as the solemn scene played out. Little did they know it was not at all a practiced act, and the silent tears the boy shed were in fact real. He reached around and unclasped their attachment harnesses, causing them to drop to the earth with a thud of finality.

The moment was palpable as a soft murmuring spread through the crowd and without a word, Terra leaped away, Aqua at his side as they padded up the mountain path, disappearing into the foliage in an instant. Wentai didn't turn to watch, didn't move from his place as the crowd gasped and broke into confused chatter.

"Wh-what? They're escaping!" Chi-Fu exclaimed suddenly, standing up from his place on the platform beside the Emperor. "Guards, hurry and recapture them!"

"No!" the Emperor bellowed, turning to address the crowd. "They are free to go; Yin and Yang belong to no one but each other." He turned to Shang and Mulan and nodded pointedly. "General, make sure no one attempts to recapture them."

Shang and Mulan urged their horses forward and followed after the tiger and dragon.

* * *

Terra ran headlong down the path, Aqua at his side, pushing his body to its limits, the blood pounding in his ears like tremors. He dug his claws into the earth and skidded to a halt when they reached what appeared to be the mountain's summit. A breathtaking view of lush, green mountains spread out before them and they stood there together, panting and ready to collapse.

They were too tired to even speak and managed to settle for a sitting position as they silently opted to enjoy the scenery until they had recovered enough to summon their keyblades for travel.

Not a moment had passed and Terra felt his ears switch back in response to the sound of horses. He and Aqua looked to the path they had come from and relaxed, unaware that they had tensed until they seen who it was that approached. Mulan and Shang dismounted and moved closer to offer a bow of respect. "Your performance was amazing!" Mulan exclaimed fervently and Shang nodded his agreement beside her. "And we wanted to give you a gift as thanks."

Terra and Aqua's expressions grew more curious as Mulan and Shang both withdrew a pendent from their pockets, pendents that looked exactly like the ones around their own necks. "You two may not be Yin and Yang," Shang said, sharing a knowing look with Mulan. "But these forms chose you for an important reason, and we hope that with these necklaces you will always remember that reason."

Mulan and Shang both held up the necklaces and the two beasts raised their heads expectantly, accepting the gift around their necks.

Terra looked at the black trinket dangling from his throat and then glanced to see Aqua's white version. As much as he wanted to escape this world he couldn't resist the nagging question in the back of his mind. "I've been wondering something," he began objectively. "What is it about Yin and Yang that seems to relate to us so much?"

Mulan smiled and shared a look with Shang, to which he gestured for her to explain. "Yin and Yang represent light and dark, sun and rain, earth and sky." She pulled her white pendent from around her neck as Shang did the same and pressed them together, forming a white-black circle. "In our country, they are represented by a tiger and dragon. They are two opposites that cannot survive without one another, and are bound together as parts of a mutual whole."

Terra suddenly turned to Aqua, a realization dawning in his mind. "You're my light," he breathed, mystified. It was all starting to make sense to him now. Of course she was his light; her brilliance shown everywhere she went.

Aqua caught his gaze, a similar revelation eclipsing in her eyes. "And you, my darkness," she replied fondly, though there was a time when the notion would have frightened her, when she had believed the narrow viewpoint of the absolute evil of darkness. The comment Cinderella's fairy godmother made so long ago suddenly made sense to her. Terra's darkness was not evil, though it could be overly passionate and chaotic. Thinking back on their interactions in the different worlds, she could see that they regulated each other, balancing out each others strengths and weaknesses.

"You complete each other," Mulan added, smiling warmly and twining her hand with Shang's. "Like Yin and Yang, your destinies are bound forever."

* * *

_AN: So in case anyone wondered, I got the name "Wentai" from the live-action Mulan movie. Also if anyone is artistically inclined and feels like drawing an Aqua dragon (or a Terra tiger) for me then I would absolutely shower you with love and affection. XD PM me if you're interested and I'll give a better idea of what I picture Aqua's dragon form looks like._


	9. Attachment

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

**Awakening**

_AN: Yay! We're finally here! I've had this idea hopping around in my head ever since that fateful day when... Oh, guess I shouldn't spoil it. Anyway, this chapter gets HOT... in a cold kind of way... And good lord! I can't believe how much this chapter evolved from its itty-bitty outline... It is easily the biggest chapter of the story. Over 11,000 words. Enjoy!_

**Chapter Nine – Attachment**

* * *

"_You shouldn't get attached," their master admonished, looking down at the pathetic creature at their feet. "You can't keep it."_

_A ten year old Terra inhaled suddenly, as though he wanted to object but thought better of it. "Yes Master," he murmured dejectedly and gave Aqua a wretched look. She gazed back at him sadly but turned to tend to the creature in question, a small black cat, curled up and wheezing in a bed of blankets on the floor. _

_The two young students had found him the day before, when they were outside training with their practice swords. It had started raining and Master Eraqus had called them inside for the day, but on their way in Aqua had noticed something wiggling in a gutter and mewing weakly. The girl had hurried over to the distressed animal, Terra following hesitantly and telling her they should get out of the rain like the master told them. But Aqua would not be deterred and she dutifully helped the poor feline out of the gutter it had been struggling to extract itself from. Turning the feeble creature over in her hands, Aqua could tell it was in a bad way, its breathing was labored and wheezing, its eyes drooping from exhaustion._

_After looking over it, or rather "him", carefully, Aqua tucked the cat against her stomach, trying to shelter him from the pelting rain. "We have to help him," she told Terra pleadingly, her blue eyes shining at him in a way she knew the boy could not resist._

_Terra sighed in exasperation but he had to admit, the critter did look like he needed help. "Alright, but Master won't like it, so we'll have to sneak him in. C'mon."_

_And so, they proceeded in sneaking the little black scrap into the mansion, Terra playing the lookout while Aqua shadowed along behind him. Once safely inside Aqua's room with the door shut behind them, (which was something that would be against the rules in a couple years but not as of yet) the two proceeded in making a nest of blankets for the drenched feline._

_Aqua sat and worried over the creature as though she were his mother, cooing and stroking his wet fur with a blanket until he was dry. Terra ran off to get him some warm milk._

_They continued with this routine for two days but the cat never seemed to show any signs of improvement. And then suddenly their master had caught on and found them hovering over the little animal in Aqua's room as they tried to urge him to drink his bowl of milk._

_That's when he had begun lecturing them, not about how they were trying to help a poor creature, but upon seeing the cat's condition, knew it was not going to last much longer. And he knew this would be a good opportunity to teach them a hard lesson. "Do not name it," he charged them strictly, hoping somehow that they hadn't already. "I expect you to let it go tonight before dinner."_

_His students looked to him with pleading eyes but nodded their heads sadly and turned back to the cat worriedly. He could see that they had already grown attached but he knew they had to learn, and he left them to grieve._

_Not long after the lecture, the cat had stopped breathing and Aqua cradled his lifeless black form in her arms, tears running down her face as she whimpered miserably._

_Terra frowned at her and the cat. He was sad, but not nearly as much as she. What truly twisted his heart were her cries of loss. Taking their master's words to heart, Terra continued to watch Aqua grieve and decided that if he was to be attached to anyone, it would be her, and he would keep her safe, so that he would never have to feel such a loss again._

* * *

Aqua shivered violently as her glider touched down on the crunchy snow. She was wholeheartedly regretting her thin clothing as she took in the surroundings of the new world. The landscape was white for as far as she could see, although that wasn't especially far since the wind and snow coming down was just shy of a blizzard. She hugged her arms around her middle and watched Terra land and dismount his own glider nearby.

He gave her a sympathetic look, although his own attire was only somewhat more appropriate for the weather. His arms were bare except for the pauldron on his left shoulder. Despite herself, Aqua smiled at him. They were human again, and she realized with a suggestive tilt of her head that she had missed seeing his handsome face.

Terra's concerned expression never wavered as he stepped to her side and Aqua shivered again, as if to confirm his suspicions. "We aren't prepared for this kind of weather," he told her gently. "I think we should leave before one of us gets sick."

Aqua's body began convulsing uncontrollably and she nodded her head in a hesitant agreement. She gave another look at their surroundings, an odd sensation tingling in the back of her head, as though there was something here; something important that they were meant to find. Her eyes caught sight of something suddenly and she squinted through the flurries. "Hang on," she told Terra when he was about to summon his armor again. "I see something."

"What?" Terra yapped at her when she started loping away, her gate awkward due to the packed snow on the ground. "Aqua, hang on a second." He sighed and followed as she ignored him, her sights were set and as usual she would not be deterred. He quickly realized that she had found an ice cave and it only took a few minutes of navigating the thick drifts to reach it.

Stepping inside and dusting the fresh powder off themselves, Aqua gazed around at the shining interior of the cave and almost forgot how cold she was. Although they were shielded from the biting wind and snow, the temperature was still below freezing. She was still shivering and hugged her torso, feeling her now damp clothing but was too distracted by the many different colors that shimmered off the crystal-like ice all around. There were countless shades of greens, blues and reds, all of them seeming to emit an unusual light and energy of their own. Though she figured it was just an illusion played by the light from outside as it bounced off the snow and reflected through the ice.

Aqua was so lost in her wonderment that she gave a startled yelp when Terra suddenly scooped her up into his arms, one secured around her back and the other curled under her legs. "Terra, what are you-?"

"I'm cold," he answered lamely, since they both knew he was doing so for her sake. "And if you insist on staying here then you'll just have to deal with it."

Aqua eyed him dubiously, though she didn't say anything in regards to his motives because being pressed against his warm body _did_ help to stave off the cold. After a moment she noticed he was still just standing there, holding her in his arms and staring down at her objectively. "Well?" she huffed at him, looking to the area ahead of them and making a waving gesture with her hand. "Go on, mush."

Without warning she felt herself being lifted up further and she turned back to him just in time to feel his mouth pressed against hers in a brief, though admittedly heated kiss. When the pressure from his arm around her shoulders went slack and their contact was broken, Aqua wrapped her arms around his neck to raise herself enough to press her forehead to his, their eyes locked in blue slits of mischief and affection. They remained that way for a moment, their mutual silence holding as they breathed in each others scent, until finally, Aqua could not contain the amusement in her throat. "You are so random sometimes."

"I told you I wanted to kiss you," he replied simply, his expression turning sly as he shifting his hold on her so her legs straddled his hips. "Our bodies have just been too... _inconvenient_ lately."

Despite the light blush flaring up her neck to her face, Aqua breathed a soft chortle in response and smiled contentedly as she closed her eyes, feeling her head pressed against his comfortably. The endearing moment ended all too soon though, as he seemed to grow bored of the sedentary contact. "So, I can't exactly see where I'm going..."

Annoyed, Aqua pushed away from him slightly, his hands braced on her thighs to hold her in place as she fiddled with the brown locks at the back of his neck. She had been about to retort when her eyes were drawn to the black pendent hanging at the base of his chest. Absently, she lifted it with her left hand and brought it together with her own white version in her right. They fit together perfectly, just as Mulan and Shang's had, like a puzzle piece that had finally found its mate.

Terra glanced down at the now single pendent with a curious attention, his eyes flashing with a sudden realization. "Hey," he said and chuckled lightly. "It's like we're one." He blinked stupidly then, suddenly remembering Kovu's words from two worlds ago and wondering why he hadn't made the connection sooner.

Aqua released the pendent, causing it to fall away into two once again. Her fascination with the necklaces suddenly vanished as her awareness of their questionable positions pressed to the fore of her thoughts. She tugged at one of his dark bangs to pull him out of his apparent daze. "If you insist on carrying me, then carry me on your back so I can have a better view."

Terra frowned, his voice disappointed though it was laced with humor. "You don't like this view?"

She sent him a coy look, her own tone flirtatious. "It served its purpose."

Reluctantly, Terra set her down and knelt beside her, waiting to be boarded like some sort of beast of burden. He hefted her up once more, his hands cupped under her lower thighs while her arms wrapped loosely over his shoulders. He wasn't about to complain, the feel of her warmth pressed against his back was more than comfortable; it just felt _right_. He wondered if she felt the same and turned his head back with an affectionate sidelong glance, catching her soft blue eyes as she returned the expression.

Lowering and pressing her head against his, she pointed an index finger in the direction ahead of them. "Forward!" she commanded childishly, her attention once again distracted by the many colors in the cave.

Terra breathed a worn sigh but smiled at her antics nonetheless and obeyed, proceeding carefully through the cave as the snow blown in from the entrance soon gave way to pure sheets of ice on the cave floor.

He walked on for a long time, a comfortable silence settling between them as Aqua's gaze flitted all over, her mind completely entranced by the beauty all around.

As her eyes darted around from one rainbow crystal formation to another, Aqua realized that she had completely forgotten about being cold, although Terra's warmth helped exponentially. As if to contradict her thoughts, she shivered against him suddenly, a harsh gust of wind and snow gushed over them and she felt Terra having to brace himself against it.

Aqua looked up to see the source of the disturbance, a giant, gaping hole in the cave ceiling. The wind was erratic and Terra pressed onward as the cave narrowed and presented them with a single path that led underneath the huge hole above. A large amount of snow had collected on the cave floor, slowing their progress and giving Terra a sour mood as he trudged through the drifts with a grumble of annoyance.

Aqua had to stifle a chuckle at his expense as a playful mischief flared up in her eyes. She smiled devilishly when she caught sight of an overhanging ice shelf up ahead where a heap of snow had collected. A small voice inside her being told her not to, but she promptly ignored it, reaching forward when they were close enough and dislodged the snow from the overhang. The disturbance was enough to cause a mini avalanche, the loose snow crashing down on Terra's head. It was his turn to yelp with surprise and he unwittingly released his hold on her legs, causing her to fall to the cold floor with a muffled thud.

Aqua didn't care that he had dropped her. She burst into a sudden fit of laughter, her arms wrapped around her stomach as if trying to contain herself.

Terra stood there with his back to her, motionless for a moment, trying to take it all in as he swatted at the powder on his head and shoulders. He listened to her frantic laughter for a moment longer before he turned on her, a playful fury on his expression in the form of fiery slits of ice with his mouth turned up ever so slightly.

He took a step towards her and her eyes flashed with a mild terror. "Wait, Terra," she gasped, her laughter not letting up, but growing more desperate by the look on his face. Another step."Terra, hang on," she nearly wheezed as she backed away in a feeble attempt to retreat. He stepped again, the distance between them near to nothing as he bore down on her with a look of lighthearted malevolence.

"Run," he nearly growled at her, his eyes burning with a righteous vengeance as he scooped up a handful of snow from another ice shelf nearby.

Aqua's eyes widened, her laughter hesitating as she noted the threat in his hands. She could waste no words for a reply as she scramble to her feet and barely dodged his first missile. She yelped when his next projectile clipped her shoulder as she paused to scoop up her own. The game ensued and continued for a time, both of them scoring points as Terra leaped at her in pursuit while she slipping out of his reach every time. Almost every time.

Aqua felt her laughter returning with a vengeance at the sight of his disheveled hair and odd expression. She felt her body shudder from the cold, though the physical activity kept her consciousness from noticing the condition of her body temperature. Her heaving breaths of laughter were a constant distraction as well, and Terra took advantage of the opportunity, easily tackling her into a soft drift and causing it to collapse around them.

He settled himself on top of her, patiently waiting out her laughing fit and smiling down at her affectionately. He tried to make out her broken bits of speech as she huffed but most of it was incoherent, though he did catch one phrase as she aimed an index finger at him. "Your face!"

This went on for another moment and Terra rolled his eyes in exasperation, only to freeze midway through the motion. He suddenly felt his body react in a way he had _not_ intended, leaving him to ponder in shock as to what had brought it on. For one thing Aqua was still resounding that intoxicating laughter, but that alone wouldn't have affected him. He was suddenly aware of her fidgeting and writhing beneath him as she laughed and he glanced down to note that he was straddling her hips in the most inappropriate and intimate way possible... _Idiot! _He scolded silently and extracted himself from her as though she had suddenly caught on fire. He moved as far away from her as he thought was reasonable and hopefully wouldn't make her question the action. But Aqua was the epitome of intelligence and he should have know she would catch on. Her laughter faded.

"Terra, what's wrong?" Her tone was jovial, still recovering from her fit, but it held a flake of concern as she moved closer to inquire further.

He scowled at the ground. It wasn't what was wrong _per se_, rather, everything felt _right. _And that was the problem. Every single part of him was screaming that these feelings he had for her were _right_! Well, except for that single, nagging, and now isolated part of him that didn't quite agree with the rest of him. His mind and body were at war and his treacherous mind was starting to turn with each step that brought her closer to him. It was like a coup was taking place in his being and it was all he could do just to keep his impure desires from taking physical action.

Aqua drew beside him and touched his arm to get his attention, her laughter was gone but her breathing was still labored and Terra had to struggle to suppress the sudden urge to remount her like a predator. Somehow digging up the willpower from a hidden reserve to resist the tendency, he jerked away from her touch and opted to collapse into the snow instead. It helped, a little.

But now she would surely know something was wrong. But he couldn't worry about that now. He felt like a ticking time bomb, and if she knew what was good for her, she would back away... slowly.

Sadly, she wasn't receiving his silent warnings, not that he was doing a very good job at projecting them. "Terra?" she once again called with concern and confusion as she knelt down beside him.

That was it, he couldn't take it anymore. Her proximity was the final trigger and without another thought he spun and sprang at her, once again towering over her in a matter of seconds. She gave a startled yelp that sent a shiver down his spine and a thrilling pang in his gut.

"Terra, what-?" her inquiry was cut short with a sharp intake of breath when he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Just tell me to stop, and I will." But she didn't resist or question him further when he started kissing the tender skin under her jaw, which made him wonder if she was feeling as conflicted as he was. His hands and knees were still supporting him above her but he was easing himself ever closer. His right hand snaked down to her thigh while his left forearm moved to brace against the ground by her head. He continued to explore her jawline with his mouth as she buried her hands in his dark hair behind his head, her throat emitting a sound that was not at all conducive to bringing their amorous activity to a halt. On the contrary, their progress was slow but steady, and the cold atmosphere around them was all but forgotten.

A moment later and their heated exchange was only intensifying when they froze suddenly, sensing a presence only seconds before- "What is going on here?" a voice thundered from out of nowhere, the question rhetorical. "This is sacred ground and you would profane it so blatantly?"

Startled, the couple's heads shot up to see a man clothed in brown robes and standing some distance away, though his voice had sounded much closer among the silence of the cave. A stiff breeze blew down from the hole in the ceiling, ruffling his dark brown cloak. He pulled his hood back to reveal short black hair and bright, glaring, emerald eyes. He waited patiently for a reply, his robed arms crossed objectively.

Neither keybearer was in any state of mind to explain themselves, both of them gawking in shock and disbelief. Aqua felt like she was going to be sick. They _would_ pick a sacred cave to make out in. Not like normal people, in a room, with a bed, and a door, and walls and such.

Terra didn't take his eyes off the man, though he showed no signs of aggression as he had in previous worlds, rather he was simply passive, as if waiting for the intruder to make the first move.

Realizing they still hadn't moved from their illicit positions, Aqua gently pressed her hands against Terra's chest, attempting to ease him off cautiously. He didn't spare her a glance but responded to her physical prompt and stood up in a slow, fluid motion, wordlessly reaching down with one hand to help her up, his eyes glued to the other man carefully.

When the stranger decided he wasn't about to get an answer from either of them, he prodded again. "Who are you and what system did you come from?"

Upon reaching her feet, Aqua felt her compromised senses returning to normal, her diplomacy kicking in as she stepped forward. "My name is Aqua and this is Terra, but I'm not sure what you mean by system."

The man eyed both of them carefully in turn, stepping closer and halting at a comfortable distance. "What planet are you from?" he clarified, his tone suspicious.

Terra opened his mouth and took a breath to speak but Aqua held up a hand to stop him and said softly, "the truth, Terra." He gave her a quizzical look but made no move to argue with her. She turned back to the stranger. "We come from very far away, from a world called Radiant Garden."

The man pondered her words for a moment, one hand to his chin as he studied them carefully. "I've never heard of it," he finally admitted. "It must be a world far, far away, even beyond the outer rim."

Aqua nodded her head, thinking it best to let that assumption ride. She hadn't a clue what he meant by an outer rim, but it was obvious this world had the technology to travel between worlds or "planets" themselves. She didn't feel like complicating matters any more than she had to, and she hoped they wouldn't need to as long as he didn't press the matter further. "I apologize for the offense earlier," she told him sheepishly, feeling heat flare up her neck regardless of the frigid atmosphere. "We meant no disrespect."

The stranger nodded, his expression softening by her apology, though he gave Terra a calculated glance that seemed to say: _"is she the only one with any intelligence between you?"_ He turned back to Aqua before the male keybearer could challenge the silent instigation. "What is your purpose on Ilum, and where is your ship, or your weapons and supplies for that matter?"

Aqua didn't want to lie to this man, something in the back of her mind told her it wasn't a good idea, but she honestly couldn't think of any alternative at the moment. "Our ship is out of commission at the moment and we have no weapons or supplies on us." She paused, thinking the last part was technically true. "As for our purpose here..." She let her words hang in the air, honestly not knowing how to explain their situation and feeling her head cloud strangely. Was the cave swaying or was that just her? She hoped Terra could take over from there, because she was no longer feeling up to it. Perhaps the cold was finally starting to effect her. She shivered then, as though her thoughts had summoned a flurry and she hugged her arms.

Terra drew beside her and wrapped an arm over her shoulders, taking his eyes off the stranger for the first time and giving Aqua a look of concern.

The robed man watched them, once again calculating their actions before finally making a decision. "Well, whatever your purpose is here," he paused again, somehow giving his words an influence that sent an image of their former intimate positions through their minds. "You don't seem to harbor an ill intent. My name is Crix, Jedi master." He gave them both a pointed look. "I'll need you to come with me, I can't leave you here and it would go against my code to send you back out into the elements with no supplies."

Aqua was starting to feel extremely lightheaded and she leaned into Terra's warm hold, not even able to find the energy to nod in compliance. When she finally did collapsed, her mind going blank, Terra was there to respond and he scooped her up without hesitation. He looked to Crix with a sheepish expression of his own. "I guess the cold finally got to her."

Crix gave his head a curious tilt, as though studying Terra's voice before turning on his heel and making a sweeping gesture with one hand, his robes swaying as he moved. "Follow me, I can provide shelter and supplies."

Terra did so and looked down to a sleeping Aqua in his arms. He held her close to his chest protectively and hoped she wasn't getting sick.

* * *

Terra followed Crix through a maze of halls and junctions in what seemed to be an underground bunker, or rather, under-ice bunker in this world's case.

Terra carefully laid Aqua on a bed, one of two in the small room they had been assigned. He covered her cold form with some blankets and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. His brows furrowed when he felt an unusual heat radiating there.

"You don't need to worry," Crix told him from the doorway. Terra turned to see that he was watching him fuss over Aqua. "I merely applied the force on her consciousness so that she would sleep. I could sense that she was contracting a common sickness here on Ilum, but it is easily treatable."

Before Terra could ask what "force" he was talking about, a young woman with curious red skin and brown hair appeared in the doorway at Crix's side. She gave him a slight bow, a single braided tendril of hair swaying with the motion. "Master Crix, you summoned me?"

That's right, this man was a master. What did he say he was? A Jedi Master? Was that like a Keyblade Master? Regardless, this man reminded him a lot of Master Eraqus, and Terra had an unexplainable feeling that he could trust him somehow.

"Ah, Padawan," Crix greeted the girl with a nod of acknowledgment. "Yes, Zule meet Terra, a guest from a planet far away."

Terra moved closer to the two, reluctantly pulling away from Aqua's side and offering his own polite bow in greeting, allowing his years of diplomatic training to take over. "I hope we won't be too much of an inconvenience."

Zule acknowledged him with a nod, her eyes a cold gray as she turned back to her master. "Do you have a task for me Master?"

"I do," Crix answered, gesturing to Aqua's sleeping form on the bed. "Terra's friend is sick from Ilum's harsh climate, would you please retrieve a medical droid with the vaccine?"

Zule regarded the woman on the bed, nodded to her master, and then turned to leave all in a matter of seconds. "Right away Master."

Crix turned his attention back to Terra, his bright green eyes flashing with something like amusement. "You trust me." It wasn't a question.

Terra blinked at him, genuinely surprised. Could this man read minds? He felt oddly violated by the thought.

"I'm not reading your mind," Crix told him, and this time there _was_ humor in his voice. "But I can feel your most powerful surface thoughts in the moment. And right now," he paused to look pointedly to Aqua across the room. "You are mostly worried for your companion."

Terra gave his head a small cant. A puzzled expression as he was intrigued though at the same time disconcerted. Could he read his mind or not? Did he already read his thoughts about how much he just wanted to curl up in bed with Aqua and keep her warm? Wait... That was probably a surface thought... _Crap!_

Crix cleared his throat disapprovingly but made no comment at reproof, instead rounding back on his own comment as though the silent disruption hadn't happened. "I would warn you though." He gave Terra a solemn, hard look. "Such dedicated and unchecked attachment can become a danger, both to you and to others."

"My attachment?" Terra repeated slowly in question as he looked between Crix and the woman he loved. "Attachment to Aqua is a danger? How?"

"To be attached to something is to in effect, own it. To own is to control, and yet, what we perceive as control is merely an illusion. When you understand how very little it is that we can control, that is when you will understand why attachment can be dangerous."

Terra blinked blankly, honestly wondering if his head just exploded. He found himself nodding his head anyway, understanding most of the man's words but finding the explanation oddly reminiscent of his old master's teachings. Which made him wonder, did master Eraqus visit this world in the past?

Crix sighed wearily and turned away, as though he had just wasted his breath. "I will send my Padawan to bring you food and supplies. You are free to rest and roam the compound as you wish until your companion recovers. We will figure out what to do with you after that."

Terra bowed respectfully as the man departed, trying not to think too far into his last comment. "Thank you Master Crix."

The door suddenly hissed shut and Terra nearly jerked away with a start. It had opened the same way earlier when Crix had touched the panel beside the door, but he wasn't used to doors suddenly closing on their own. He wondered how many more surprises they would encounter in this strange world.

Rubbing the back of his neck tiredly and blowing out a sigh of tension, he crossed back to Aqua's bed and pulled up a chair to sit at her side. He touched a hand to her forehead again and cringed; she was burning up. He got up and entered the small bathroom adjoined to their room and returned a moment later with a wet cloth. Placing it on her head, he sat down again, waiting for the medic that was promised.

It wasn't long before the door hissed open again, Zule appearing in the doorway with a tray of food with an odd looking machine trailing behind her. When Terra gave the metal contraption an incredulous look, the girl glanced between the two of them before offering some reassurance. "GH-5 here is a medical droid and he's just going to analyze a blood sample and administer the proper vaccine. Nothing to worry about." She stepped into the room and set the tray on an end table by Terra's chair but he didn't so much as regard the offered food once. His attention was drawn to the droid as it hovered over to the other side of Aqua's bed, its joints whirring as it poked her arm with a needle protruding from one metal limb.

Terra felt his body tense when Aqua moaned softly in her sleep as the blood was drawn but she made no other indication of discomfort. The droid withdrew the needle and made a few beeping noises as it processed the sample. Its cabinet-like torso suddenly popped open, displaying various vials of different colors and with its other limb pulled one out before its metal plates closed up once more. Terra watched the entire process in both fascination and uncertainty as it switched out needles and equipped the chosen vial.

He wanted to protest and ask how a machine knew what to prescribe but found himself biting his tongue and allowing the droid to once again, probe Aqua's arm. He still didn't know why, but he trusted Crix, and if he trusted the machine to help Aqua then he would too. He had to, because really, there was nothing he could do to help her now.

Aqua moaned again in her sleep, this time shifting her head to the side with discomfort. Terra instinctively moved closer to grab her hand in response, hoping her subconsciousness might find comfort in his touch.

With its purpose finished, the droid retracted its arm from Aqua and hovered away towards the doorway with a few blips and clicks. Zule followed without a word, watching the two newcomers curiously. Her pale gray eyes held an indifferent detachment though, Terra noted when he caught her piercing gaze right before the door hissed shut behind her.

He couldn't help but think that these Jedi people seemed really strange. And yet he had this unusual urge to learn more about them, their beliefs and their advanced technology. Maybe once Aqua recovered and woke up they could explore and investigate further into the world's culture.

With his mind once again returning to Aqua, he wondered if they would get kicked out if he was caught sleeping with her. After a moment of contemplation, he decided it would probably be easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, especially since Crix hadn't chastised him outright after reading his thoughts on the matter.

Having made his decision, Terra pulled Aqua's covers back and slipped in beside her, wrapping a protective arm around her middle and frowning upon feeling her clammy skin. She murmured something incoherent and nuzzled closer to him. Terra puffed at her bangs affectionately, his last thought before dosing of was _that droid had better have picked the right vaccine..._

* * *

Terra woke the next day to a sharp hissing sound, his sleepy mind registering the noise as the door opening. Not yet wanting to face the day, he burrowed his face into Aqua's hair and breathed in her scent, it somehow reminding him of a spring breeze over a clear lake. He felt her back nestled against his chest comfortably, although he had both his arms wrapped around her and the one she was laying on was unpleasantly in a dead asleep.

As his mind slowly eased into wakefulness he blew out a bothered sigh into her blue locks, knowing he would have to face their visitor sooner or later. He sent a blurry sidelong glance to the door and recognized Crix's form, motionless and presumably watching for any activity in the room. The lights in the room slowly grew to brightness as they somehow sensed motion from the doorway, the opposite had happened the night before, when no motion had been detected and the lights faded to darkness.

Terra sensed more than seen the flash of annoyance from the man as he strode into the room to see his guests inappropriately sharing a bed. "You're awake then." Obviously noting Terra's consciousness he spoke with a tone that neither veiled his displeasure nor addressed it directly. It was like a warning that didn't really mean anything unless the recipient had been trained to respond accordingly. "I've brought some warm clothes and food for both of you. So I suggest you wake her up. She needs to eat to replenish her strength."

Terra noted the stack of clothing in the Jedi's left hand as he dropped them to the other bed, while his right balanced another tray of food. Terra cringed somewhat when he realized he hadn't touched the food presented to him the night before as Crix set the new one down beside the old one. If he had been offended by the lack of appreciation he hid it well. Crix sent him an expectant look and Terra extracted himself from Aqua's warm body to sit up on the bed.

He suddenly felt like a kid again, waking bleary eyed to Master Eraqus' morning rousing calls. His mind was so foggy from sleep that he wasn't sure how he even managed a coherent sentence. "Thank you for everything, Master Crix."

The Jedi nodded in response, his arms once again tucked within his brown robes. "I told you not to worry," Crix admonished, his green eyes landing on the woman behind him. "She is already recovering at an astonishing speed." He tilted his head with interest, as though he were just now realizing something. "Though her body was already weak due to another ailment."

"What ailm-" Terra wanted to inquire, but he felt the bed shift beneath him. As if responding to their voices, Aqua's eyes fluttered open and she yawned. Terra leaned over to get a better look at her and smiled. "Hey."

She smiled back, her voice groggy in reply. "Hey." She blinked and looked around the room, disoriented. "Where are we?"

"An underground bunker," Terra told her gently and placed a hand on her forehead; her temperature had improved dramatically. "You got sick, and Master Crix offered to help us."

Aqua turned her head to see the robed man standing by the other bed and she formed a silent "oh" with her mouth. He nodded and greeted pleasantly. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

Aqua attempted to sit up and respond appropriately but felt her body give out soon after, her arms going limp when she tried to push herself upright. She looked up to see Terra watching her with concern, though he seemed to be at a loss as to how to help. "You're body is still very weak, for multiple reasons," Crix said, offering a pregnant pause and wondering if she even realized her body's condition. "The vaccine is sucking your energy dry in order to fight off the sickness, but if you eat the food I brought then you should be able to get up and walk around for a bit."

Aqua nodded, or tried to; she wasn't sure how effective the movement seemed. She eyed the tray of food on the table and both heard and felt her stomach rumble with a desperate hunger. Terra smiled down at her and moved to sit her up, opting to sit behind her on the bed and brace her against his side with one arm wrapped around her waist to hold her steady.

Crix brought the tray over and set it on her lap and studied her curiously as she weakly raised the food to her mouth. "You still aren't aware of it are you?" he nearly murmured to himself, earning him a questioning look from both of them. He took a step back, his face fading to a cryptic expression, as though he hadn't said anything at all. "After you eat, I imagine you'll want to get cleaned up." He gestured to the small room that Aqua assumed was a bathroom. "The refresher has everything you need, I will return within a couple hours to check on your progress."

And with that, he was gone, the door hissing open and shut behind him in a matter of seconds. Aqua looked on in his wake with a quizzical expression as she chewed her breakfast. She glanced to Terra only to see him shrug. "These Jedi people can be really strange. In fact, Crix said that he used some kind of power to make you sleep when you passed out in the cave. He said you were getting sick, and you needed to rest."

"A sleep spell?" Aqua wondered, curious, though she mostly focused on her food and the thrilling energy it was quickly sending through her veins. Whereas it didn't taste the greatest, it was certainly doing its job.

Terra shook his head in answer. "No, he didn't chant a spell, and he didn't use a weapon to channel it either. Once you recover I'd like to investigate their power, and their culture too," he said, pausing briefly. "It seems, oddly... familiar."

Aqua turned to him in question, absently satisfied that her body was starting to respond properly to her demands. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Master Crix for one thing," Terra explained and gestured to the door where the man had exited. "He reminds me so much of Master Eraqus, and I can't help but wonder..." He hesitated for a moment, his dark eyes flaring with hint of grief at the mention of their master.

"Go on," Aqua urged gently, her food all but forgotten though it was mostly gone anyway.

"Did he visit this world?" he wondered aloud, his voice distant, as though he were simply contemplating aloud. "Is this where he learned to be a master?"

"I suppose anything is possible," Aqua ventured, her own voice holding a careful blend of optimism and doubt. After all, the odds of them finding a world that their master had visited when he was young were very unlikely. She pondered this for a moment, her eyes going wide when she felt a familiar pang in her abdomen. She scowled at nothing in particular. On top of everything she had to contend with that too? The Jedi's words suddenly clicked in her mind and she realized that he had sensed her time of weakness even before she had. Another pang and she was fighting with the covers, the tray, and Terra's hold in order to make her way to the bathroom.

When she staggered out of the bed, Terra was there to steady her and offered a word of admonishment. "You shouldn't push yourself." He was worried, and fussed over her like she were made of glass.

Annoyed yet fondly appreciative of his concern, she pressed a hand against him, hoping to gently ward him off. "I'm ok," she ground out, a little harsher than she intended, the pangs were becoming more frequent and painful. "I'll be fine. I'm feeling much better, honest." In a sense it was the truth, she could feel energy spike through her limbs, yet she knew she wasn't able to mask the pain from her face completely. Normally she would have had the chance to catch and treat the symptoms early, but now all she could do was make it to the bathroom and deal with everything belatedly. Seeing that the worry on his face was not fading from her assurance, she frowned. She really didn't want to have to explain it to him, and also didn't think he would even want to know.

But Terra didn't press the matter and silently helped her across the room after seeing that she wasn't going to back down from her decision. He grabbed the clothes on the other bed and handed them over as she stepped into the bathroom, or rather, "refresher" as Crix had deemed it.

"I'll be here if you need anything," Terra told her, though instantly regretted his words with a furious blush. _What could she possibly need you for?_ he berated himself with a scowl, though the heat on his face faded when he seen her nod soberly and step further into the small room, the door sliding shut with a click

He spent the next hour trying hard not to worry over her weakened state, but mostly tying not to imagine her standing under the cascading water, naked, and how much he _did_ wish that she needed him for something.

* * *

When Aqua emerged from the bathroom an hour later, she was feeling much better. The medication she had found in the cabinet had all but erased the pain and even managed to stave off the inconvenient bleeding. She stepped into the bedroom, donning the brown, warm robes that Crix had provided, and looked to see Terra sitting in a chair and picking at another tray of food. He met her gaze and gave his head an odd tilt, no doubt thinking the clothes looked foreign on her. She noticed then that he too had changed into the warmer clothing, though he seemed somewhat more at home in them to her. "Feel better?" he ventured.

She nodded her head. "Much better." She still felt weak, but her legs supported her as she crossed to sit on one of the beds nearby. She sat quietly for a moment, wondering how in the world Crix had known about her vulnerable state. She looked up to meet Terra's dark blue gaze to see that he was watching her carefully, though she could tell by his expression that he didn't want her to feel smothered by his worry. "This power that Crix used on me," she started cautiously. "What did he say about it?"

Terra blinked at her, wondering why she was suddenly interested in the subject but letting it pass unquestioned. "He just said he influenced some type of "force" on your consciousness," he told her, frowning as he continued, "he also has a creepy way of reading your thoughts."

"He can read our thoughts?" Aqua repeated skeptically, more as a statement than a question.

"Surface thoughts." Terra nodded and set his tray back on the table as he once again moved to place a hand on her forehead.

"I'm _fine_," she nearly snapped at him, swatting his hand away impatiently. "Stop fussing over me already." She regretted her response almost instantly as he backed off, remembering her temperament was probably being affected by her condition as well. She needed to be more vigilant minding her temper, especially since he was only worried. "I'm sorry," she mended quietly, her eyes averted from him. "I'm just tired."

Terra merely nodded in understanding and when she spared him a glance, he didn't seem too badly hurt by her outburst. If it could even be labeled as an outburst; she guessed in terms of her usual calm demeanor it could be considered one. She supposed he deserved a bit more than a simple apology, so without thinking too much into her actions, she stood up and leaned down to place a soft kiss on his lips. He responded instantly and though their contact was relatively short, it was long enough to be interrupted when the door whooshed open.

Startled, Aqua pulled away from him and looked to their visitor with a light blush, abashed, while Terra simply smirked at her, shameless at this point.

It was Master Crix again and he regarded them as though they were a couple of children that failed to obey a simple rule time and time again. He promptly ignored their intimate exchange and turned his gaze to Aqua, considering her carefully. "You seem to be doing better."

Aqua nodded silently, not feeling brave enough to meet his steely, green gaze directly. It was so strange. She suddenly felt like a kid again, fidgeting nervously under Master Eraqus' stern tutelage. Terra was right, Crix _did_ remind her of their old master, so much so that it was rather uncanny. One thing was different though, she noted dryly. Master Eraqus would have never allowed such intimate fraternizing to go unchecked and without a lecture.

"If you'd like," Crix began with a welcoming gesture. "I can take you both on a tour of the compound."

Terra stood up beside Aqua immediately, and she noted his excited expression with a frown. She didn't feel like she was in any state to be around other people, but she also couldn't deny that look on his face, so she nodded her consent and followed the two men out the door.

Crix answered their questions as they walked through the brightly lit halls, many other Jedi passing them and offering either a friendly bow or curious stares. It seemed that even though she and Terra were dressed like them, they were still recognized as outsiders. "The Force is what gives a Jedi power," Crix was explaining. "It's an invisible energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together."

"Uh-uh." Aqua tried her best to wrap her mind around the explanation and glanced to see Terra shrug in his own stupor. "And this is what you used to make me sleep?"

Crix gave her a sidelong glance. "In a way. Your body was already weakened to a state of collapse. I merely influenced your mind to allow it to do what it already knew you needed."

Aqua crossed her arms in a pout. She supposed that was a yes. She thought about questioning further but dropped the matter altogether when another Jedi strode up to Crix with a bow. She was young and her skin was a strange red shade, her eyes a pale blue as she stood erect and met Aqua's gaze for a brief instance. "What is it, Padawan?" Crix questioned and the young woman turned back to the master.

"Master," Zule began. "The council is on the holo, they request your presence. I believe the next group of younglings is on their way for a gathering."

Crix nodded shortly and made a sweeping gesture to Terra and Aqua. "See our guests back to their room."

"Yes Master," Zule replied, bowing again in compliance as the man strode away, his robes sweeping behind him regally. "This way," the Padawan said to her two charges and led the way down the hall.

Terra couldn't help but wonder if it was annoyance that he sensed from Zule, and he felt the uncomfortable silence set in as her introduction to Aqua was conveniently forgotten. It was odd to him, since Crix had been nothing but hospitable since they arrived, yet his apprentice only seemed to be so much as far as she was instructed. He also found it strange that Aqua had yet to simply just introduce herself and get the tension over with, but with a glance he noticed her eyelids were drooping, and she was starting to lag behind.

They had reached the less populated halls, and even if they hadn't, Terra suddenly decided he didn't care. Drawing back, he scooped Aqua up into his arms once again, ignoring her objections and attempts to writhe out of his hold. "Rest," he told her gently, though his eyes held a firm resolution that he knew she would not challenge further.

Zule had halted a ways down the hall, simply watching them with a dull interest and waiting for them to catch up. As soon as they were back inside their room, she was gone, as if impatient to be rid of them like unwanted baggage.

Terra shrugged indifferently and crossed to the same bed, gently setting Aqua down and settling in beside her with a smile. This was easily becoming his favorite time of day, even if he wasn't tired or sleepy; holding Aqua close was a pleasure he couldn't put into words.

And Aqua was no longer coherent enough to dissuade him, her consciousness fading like a retreating ocean tide. The last thing she was aware of was his familiar scent, reminding her fondly of pine cones on a warm forest floor.

* * *

Terra yanked harshly on the reins of his irritable mount, earning a disproving screech from the two-legged furry creature. He looked to see how Aqua was faring on her own ride and glared. Her two-legged beast was bounding along in the snow like it didn't even care Aqua was riding it. She caught his gaze and urged the creature toward him expertly, gently pulling on her reins to halt it, the beast yowling plaintively.

"Having trouble?" she asked, all innocence as his glare intensified.

It had been two days since Aqua had collapsed for the second and final time. After another good night's sleep she was up and running with what seemed like her usual unending energy. He swore she stole some of that exuberance from Ven. She had insisted they get out and explore after spending a day and a half in the bunker. They had spent the majority of their time inside meeting various Jedi and learning about their culture, the Force, and what Terra was most interested in: their hierarchy and apprentice system.

It seemed that each Jedi knight was allowed to only teach one apprentice at a time, and if he and Aqua were to take anything away from the Jedi's order and implement it into their new Keyblade Academy, he wanted to see the single apprentice practice set into motion. As it was, Aqua's attention was spread so thin back home with her class of students, the thought of her only having one at a time sounded much more reasonable to him. He knew he was just being possessive, but the simple reality of it was the more students she had, the less time she would have to spend with him. Selfish? Yes. Did he care? No.

"I don't think your Tauntaun likes you, Terra," Aqua told him through a giggle, her voice bringing his mind back to the present as she patted her Tauntaun's neck affectionately. "Just try to be gentle, he will respond eventually."

When Aqua insisted they leave the stifling warmth of the bunker, Crix had offered to allow them both to join him and his Padawan on a routine patrol of their base's perimeter, astride Tauntauns. Terra had agreed hesitantly, mostly because he wasn't convinced Aqua had recovered completely, but had he known he would have to ride a horrid smelling, two-legged beast of burden, he would have resisted much more fervently.

The male keybearer turned his glare on the twin-horned head of his Tauntaun. He really wasn't enjoying this little venture; why did he have to get the defective mount? He looked longingly to Aqua and the creature she was so in tune with and wished he could just ride with her, honestly not caring if she was driving.

They both turned upon hearing Crix calling to them astride his own mount a fair distance away, waving to them to follow. Aqua urged her Tauntaun forward and turned to call over her shoulder as though she were suddenly an expert on the creatures. "Just let up on the reins and he should follow naturally."

Terra scowled but did as she said and was pleasantly surprised when his Tauntaun howled and jerked forward as well, trailing behind Aqua's mount like the pack animal it was. His expression softened and he caught Aqua smiling back at him. He could start to enjoy himself if things kept up like this. He urged the beast faster and received a grunt in reply, though it obeyed and closed the distance between him and Aqua. When he drew beside her, he caught her gaze, his eyes flashing a silent challenge as he hunkered down and brandished a devilish grin.

Aqua shook her head disapprovingly ineffectively as his Tauntaun pulled ahead of hers. "Terra!" she scolded vainly but couldn't resist the childish temptation to beat him at his own game. The rules were obvious; whoever reached Crix first was the winner. She urged her mount faster, smiling with satisfaction as he responded without hesitation.

The race almost ended in a tie, but Terra's mount had been just a tad faster, and Aqua rolled her eyes when he threw his hands in the air, announcing his victory for all to hear. There would be no talking to him after this.

Aqua patted her mount's neck again, both their Tauntauns wheezing from exhaustion as they slowed them to a walk, waiting for the Master and his Padawan to catch up from the overshot their speed had accomplished.

They were both unaware of the snow they kicked up in their wake and had caught on the wind, blowing right into Crix and Zule's faces. "Master," Zule nearly growled with annoyance.

"Patience, Padawan." Crix turned to his apprentice, brushing off the powder from his shoulders. "Our ways are foreign to them, and," he hesitated, as if contemplating whether he should even continue. "They are in love."

"Master?" Her tone implied she required an explanation.

"As Jedi, it isn't something most of us experience, but it often makes one act... carelessly." His eyes had unwittingly drifted to the couple, his expression cryptic though his Padawan caught the flash of regret there.

"Master?" This time her tone was one to catch his attention and he turned back to her. "You sound like you're... familiar with the matter."

"I am," he answered her plainly, his green eyes narrowed to mere slits as he turned back to the white tundra, whether it was to mask pain or annoyance was unclear.

Zule dropped the matter there, knowing when her master was shutting her out. Even if she had wanted to press the matter further, she would have been interrupted as they drew level with the couple and her master's communicator beeped at his hip. He answered it promptly and an urgent voice crackled to life. "Master Crix, multiple ships have just arrived out of hyperspace, they will be landing soon!"

Crix's eyes widened in shock. "Have they been identified?"

"They have," the other voice replied direly. And with the look of despair Crix shared with his Padawan, the following words needn't even be clarified. "Sith."

Aqua and Terra shared a look of confused concern. Apparently "Sith" meant something bad. Before they could inquire, Crix shouted back into his communicator, "We are returning to base, proceed with the lock down." A confirmation came from the other side and he urged his mount back toward the underground base, his Padawan at his side.

Aqua and Terra shared another look, a silent debate passing between them. That if things were about to get hairy around here then perhaps they had better leave. They had both forgotten Crix's unique ability to read their thoughts and he turned to them in question, seeing that they hadn't moved from their spot.

"Don't get any ideas, you can't stay out here, it's far too dangerous." He obviously didn't realize or understand that they could simply leave whenever they wanted.

Aqua opted to use logic to their advantage. "But our Tauntauns won't make it; we have to let them rest," Aqua told him reasonably. "We will return as soon as they recover."

"Very well," Crix agreed, hesitant to leave them but not having a choice in the matter.

Once the Jedi were fair distance away, Terra and Aqua dismounted and decided to follow after them for a ways on foot, hoping to get as close to the base as possible so their Tauntauns could make their way back on their own.

They were both unaware of Crix turning back to return to them when he was halfway to the base though his Padawan continued without him. They were both startled and caught completely off guard when Aqua's Tauntaun suddenly screeched in agony and terror. A dark figure was crouching on the creature's back, a thin cylinder pressed against the beast's saddle.

Aqua felt time slow to a crawl as she recognized the cylinder as something the Jedi had carried at their hips constantly. Her eyes went wide with realization, remembering how the weapons flared into deadly blades, and this one was impaling her Tauntaun, killing him.

Aside from her horror as her Tauntaun collapsed in a heap on the ground, Aqua was shocked that the dark presence had surprised them. She hadn't sensed anything! And with the way Terra snarled and leaped at the assailant, he hadn't sensed him either.

The stranger raised a hand and exerted his invisible force, sending Terra flying a great distance away as though he were swatting at a fly and stunning him momentarily. Then he turned on Aqua, and she gasped and took an instinctive step backward upon seeing his glowing yellow eyes beneath his black hood. Horrible memories passed through her suddenly, paralyzing her as he bore down on her, his killing intent tangible in the frigid air. "So much darkness," she murmured to herself.

"No Lightsaber?" the stranger spat. "What kind of Jedi are you?"

Aqua was sure she paled visibly, suddenly realizing she wore the garb of a Jedi and that this man was their enemy somehow. "You don't understand," Aqua tried to explain, back stepping once again. She thought about summoning her keyblade but hesitated in light of reasoning first. "I'm no Jedi."

"They training cowards now?" the man snarled at her, apparently disgusted by her retreat. "Not surprising." And before she could bring her keyblade to bear, as she did manage to summon it this time, the dark antagonist had struck with astonishing speed and brutality.

Aqua was unaware of when Terra had recovered and approached, but she _was_ aware that he was too late when she heard him roar furiously. The stranger's blood-red Lightsaber had impaled her left shoulder, the savage blade passing straight through, its pointed tip resting behind her back. The pain didn't register right away, but it soon emerged with a cruel, piercing, burning and unbearable existence. She idly heard a horrific screaming and realized with surprise that it was her own voice emitting the sound of such agony.

Her eyes rolled back and she was unaware when Terra launched himself at the distracted assailant, slashing at him with a glowing Earthshaker. The dark clad stranger leaped away easily and graciously extracted his weapon from Aqua's chest.

Terra ran at the man in a furious pursuit, not paying any mind as Aqua fell to the snow, unnaturally still. His rage had overtaken him and all he could see was the enemy before him. But the offender was quick, and easily dodged Terra's strikes, though he was not responding with a counter attack, almost as though he were toying with the keybearer. Halting long enough to notice the man was sneering at him, Terra suddenly came to his senses and frantically looked around to find Aqua lying helpless in the snow. He called out to her then, but had to turn back and block the enemy's attack. His anger returned with a snarl and he thrust the man away with his undying strength.

He needed to reach Aqua but he knew the enemy wasn't about to allow that. He was trying to think up a quick solution when Crix suddenly flew by in a flash of brown, his blue Lightsaber coming alive with a screech as he engaged the dark clad man. "Go!" he shouted at Terra.

Not needing to be told twice, Terra rushed to Aqua's side. She was losing so much blood. Panic engulfed his body into a raging inferno, he felt the adrenalin pumping through his veins so powerfully and yet there was nothing he could do. His cure spells might ease her pain but closing a wound of this severity wasn't his specialty. He wanted to lift her up and hold her close, but his hands merely shook, the fear of causing her more discomfort keeping him at bay. "Aqua," he cried weakly as tears began flowing down his cheeks, his body convulsing. When she didn't respond, he decided it was at least worth it to try a healing, but he stopped when the blood began staining the pure white snow all around her. "Aqua!" he howled miserably. It was a desperate sound, full of sorrow, loneliness and anger.

The moments passed by and he could feel Aqua's life force fading. He didn't know why, but he looked up to see Crix was moving farther and farther away in pursuit of the assailant. Terra found little comfort in the fact that the Jedi was winning. He cried out again, hearing his voice blend with the howling wind around them as he bowed his head low in despair, his forehead touching hers in a silent plea.

"Peace, friend. And not passion," came a calm voice from above. Terra looked up to see another Jedi dismount a Tauntaun that he had been completely unaware of approaching. "There is no death, there is the force." The Jedi knelt by Aqua's other side, eying the dark haired keybearer warily. "I can help her, but I'll need you to calm down first, or I won't be able to concentrate."

Terra nodded numbly and tried to remember the calming techniques Eraqus had taught him so long ago. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, despite the pain it caused from the frigid air. He pictured Aqua's smiling face and felt his heart rate returning to normal soon after. He was afraid to open his eyes again, knowing his anxiety would return tenfold at seeing her lifeless state, so he opted to remain as he was and heard the Jedi voice his approval. "Good."

He felt like he had been waiting for _hours_, every second passing by with an anxious misery. Until finally the Jedi spoke again and Terra's eyes popped open. "Alright, all done. There is going to be a scar, but she should be fine. Get her to safety, keep her warm and still for at least a day."

Once again, Terra nodded numbly, tears cascading down his cheeks with relief and a gratitude he could not put into words as he bent down to cradle the unconscious woman desperately.

The Jedi medic remounted his Tauntaun and looked to something behind Terra. "Master Crix, we should return, before the Sith send their main force."

Crix moved into Terra's view, ignoring his fellow's words as he regarded the male keybearer with a look that required no words. Terra knew what he was implying and he didn't need a connection to their mysterious force to figure it out. He could see plainly enough in his emerald gaze the lecture about his attachment to Aqua being a danger, although oddly enough there was understanding there as well. Terra didn't think too far into the matter though, his relief once again overwhelming him. He knew that Aqua served to regulate his darkness, and when he had lost her it had unbalanced him to the point of recklessness. So in a sense, both theories were correct, since the thought of losing her turned his mind to chaos, yet without her, he couldn't function. The irony left him feeling dizzy.

"You have to leave," Crix finally told him, as though he had given up on trying to convince him on the silent matter. He gazed up at the pure white sky and closed his eyes meditatively, somehow suddenly knowing that the two keybearers did not arrive in a starship. "Dying here is not your destiny."

Terra did not reply in any form as the Jedi moved away without another word. He had an odd sense of foreboding that the Jedi as a whole were about to be overrun mercilessly. He knew that the single assailant had just been a scout and that his comrades would soon attack with overwhelming numbers. But he couldn't worry about them now, Aqua being his main concern at the moment. He hefted her up and held her limp form close to his chest with his left arm while her legs draped over his right bicep as he held his keyblade out to summon a portal. He activated their armors and strode into the darkness with a heavy heart, leaving the Jedi to their grim fate.

* * *

_AN: So there is a **perfect** picture for that kiss scene at the start.(ya know, like 8,000 words ago?) The link is on my profile. Also, I feel the need for another disclaimer, since I didn't want to put it at the start due to spoilers..._

_Disclaimer/AN: Once again, I do NOT own anything written about in this story. The Jedi OC's (Crix and Zule) are recycled names that I found on Wookieepedia, but the OC's in this chapter are not actual Star Wars characters, I just used the names because I liked them. Also, if you're wondering when in the Star Wars universe this happened, it's actually sometime before the events of ToR, when the Sith first discover Ilum and end up sending a force to slaughter the Jedi stationed there... Sad, I know. Poor Crix, he apparently loved someone once but I have no clue who... XD Now he's dead. Lol Oh well, that's the life of an OC I guess._

Ok, I feel better now. Please review if you have the time.:) If I get enough reviews I MIGHT update again before next Friday... hint hint


	10. Promise

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

**Awakening**

_AN: If you want to see a pic for the flashback, the link is on my profile. As for this chapter, I hope everyone likes cheese, because this chapter is extra CHEESY! Enjoy!_

**Chapter Ten – Promise**

* * *

_Terra was bored. He was thirteen, brimming with energy, and he was absolutely bored._

_It was a beautiful summer day, and Master Eraqus had given them the day off from training. But since that didn't happen very often, neither Aqua or Terra seemed to know what to do with the free time. For the moment they opted to sit out in the sun on a grassy hilltop and watch the clouds pass overhead. Well, Aqua was sitting anyway, her arms wrapped around her legs and held close to her chest. Terra had plopped dramatically onto his back with a frustrated sigh long ago._

"_Aqua," he called with a groan, getting her curious attention immediately. "I'm **bored**."_

"_Yeah?" She giggled at his pathetic tone, her blue hair ruffled by a pleasant breeze. "Have anything in mind?"_

_Terra scowled at the sky, wracking his brain for an idea. He gave a sweep of their surroundings but there was nothing, just grass and some large, gilded boulders nearby. Apparently enough time had lapsed that Aqua assumed he wasn't going to answer and turned away again, only to flinch back when Terra shot up into a sitting position. "I've got it!"_

"_Huh?" was all Aqua could manage. She couldn't understand why her friend was suddenly so excited. That is, until he pointed at two boulders hovering nearby. Aqua blinked blankly at them. They were the ones that had gold bindings and hung in the air by an ancient magic and were stationed all around their world. "What have you "got", Terra?" she asked skeptically._

_Terra gave her a lopsided and arrogant grin. "I'm gonna jump."_

"_Huh?" she asked again. Surely he didn't mean jump from one to the other... But by the wild look in his eyes, she knew that's exactly what he intended. "No Terra, it's too dangerous!" She leaped at him to make a grab for his arm but he pulled out of her reach and chuckled._

"_Don't think I can pull it off?" he called over his shoulder with a smirk, already running headlong for the first boulder._

"_Yes!" Aqua answered, but then mended, confusing herself as she pursued him. "I mean no... I mean it's too far, you won't make it!"_

_Terra laughed. "Challenge accepted." Upon reaching the gilded stone hovering only inches from the ground, he cast a quick glance behind to see Aqua had followed after him worriedly. If she hadn't, he probably would have lost his motivation and dropped the reckless notion. Placing both hands on the smooth stone, he found purchase on the first binding and hauled himself upward before Aqua could reach him. He knew she wouldn't follow him and she simply paced on the ground, watching worriedly, no doubt debating between staying to make sure he didn't get hurt and running off to get the master. He was glad when she decided to stay._

_When he finally scaled the large rock and stood to gain his bearings for a moment, he could hear Aqua calling desperately from the ground. "Terra, please come down. You don't have to do this to impress me!" Her eyes were darting between him and the other boulder, judging the distance with a dubious and stressed expression._

_Was that why he was doing this? Not originally, but now he supposed he was. If she had left, he probably would have grown bored and simply climbed down. He gazed down to see her terrified expression and frowned, he realized he was causing her a very real distress but he couldn't back down now; he'd look like a coward. Although he was feeling some apprehension by how far off the ground he really was; he wasn't exactly afraid of heights but he felt like he should have been... He grit his teeth and clenched his fists and leaped before he could change his mind. With a flash of panic he felt his fingers scrape and slip past the other boulder's gold binding, felt a sharp pain eclipse in his head, heard Aqua screaming with horror, and then there was nothing._

"_-did very well Aqua," a deep voice murmured gently. "He's lucky you were there to heal him."_

_Terra felt a white hot pain split through his skull. He couldn't pinpoint the source of the pain, but he was sure if he opened his eyes it would only intensify. He could feel the soft cushion of a bed beneath him, recognized his master's familiar voice and Aqua's warm presence._

"_Will he be ok?" Aqua whimpered nearby, her voice hitching as though she had been crying. "Why won't he wake up?"_

_Terra felt his heart split; he never meant to make her cry. Despite the excruciating pain, he attempted to open his eyes, for her. He groaned with the effort, and shifted on the bed in order to accomplish the simple action. He heard Aqua gasp with relief as his eyes blinked, the two figures looming over him came into a blurry existence._

"_You're ok!" Aqua screeched and threw her arms around him, causing Terra to wince from her high pitch. He guessed he deserved it though, and moved one hand to pat her shoulder reassuringly._

_He frowned when he felt her body trembling with sobs against him, her cries of relief muffled into his shirt. "I'm so sorry Aqua," he tried to soothe, conveniently avoiding his master's gaze, not yet ready to face him._

_Aqua suddenly pulled away from him and wiped at the tears streaming down from her glistening blue eyes, her expression serious now, almost angry. "You have to promise!"_

"_Wha- promise what, Aqua?" He tried to lift his head from the pillow but found it to be too much effort._

"_Not to do anything so stupid ever again!" she shouted at him... Yeah, she was angry._

_Terra couldn't blame her though. From the sound of things, and the furious aching in his head, he might have died if she hadn't been there to heal him right away. "I-" he hesitated, his mouth growing dry from apprehension. Could he really promise such a thing? From the look she was giving him, he thought he better, or he may not survive her wrath. "I promise."_

_Satisfied, Aqua smiled and hugged him again, causing him to huff from the impact. "Good," was her only reply. _

_She pulled back again when their master cleared his throat objectively. "Aqua, could you give us a minute?"_

_Aqua sneered at the helpless boy lying on the bed. "Somebody's in **trouble**!" she teased as she headed out the door, calling over her shoulder, "I'll make you some hot chocolate!"_

_The master and the apprentice watched her go, one with a warm fondness, the other with a desperate longing for her to stay and protect him. Eraqus turned to the boy with a gentle seriousness in his eyes, and a lecture on his tongue. "Terra-"_

"_I'm sorry Master!" Terra interrupted wretchedly. "I never meant to upset her like that!"_

"_That's not-" Eraqus started but sighed, unsure of how to get his point across. Terra had already received his punishment, and was obviously regretting his actions, so there was no need for a lecture on the matter. "I just want you to understand the importance of your promise."_

"_My... promise?" Terra was confused. Wasn't he suppose to get admonished for his behavior? "Master, I don't understand, how can I ever keep such a promise?"_

"_I've tried to teach both of you to be true to your words, always." Eraqus closed his eyes for a moment, as though a great weariness had overtaken him. "Keeping a promise is important, but it is sometimes unrealistic when faced with a greater threat. All I ask is that you do everything in your power to keep the promises you make. If you don't, then you risk losing everything you've worked so hard to keep safe."_

"_I... understand, Master."_

* * *

The world was dark, angry, and chaotic, reflecting Terra's mood as he walked, searching for an appropriate shelter. A pale, ethereal light hung in the air from an unknown source. He glanced up but couldn't see a moon nor any stars due to the thick clouds overhead. A flash of vertical lightning crashed to the ground in the distance, followed by the resounding thunder sometime later. He could smell rain in the air and picked up his pace. It would do neither of them any good to be caught in a downpour. He glanced down to the sleeping Aqua in his arms and held her closer, turning his determined expression on the rocky path ahead.

He had stopped at the first world they came to, the Jedi's words fresh in his mind. _Keep her safe, warm, still. _Simple, and by the looks of things, this world seemed uninhabited, although so did Ilum at first, and look at the mess they got into there. He shook his head, attempting to banish any negativity. In doing so he caught sight of a cave out of the corner of his vision. He was apprehensive at first, knowing all manner of different wildlife dwelt in caves, but on the other hand, if there were no signs of activity then it would likely be a safe place to take shelter. He entered the cave cautiously, his senses not picking up any threats. He summoned Earthshaker to briefly light the darkness and found that the crude chamber ended abruptly, with no other outlet and no traces of any sort of activity. Good, he could defend it easier if there was only one way in.

Satisfied with his find, he lay Aqua on the cold stone floor and removed his thick Jedi robes and proceeded to wrap one section to serve as her pillow while he spread another over her body like a blanket. This left him with his usual black and tan attire, as both he and Aqua opted to simply wear their old clothes underneath the warmer ones.

He gazed down at her worriedly for a moment and stroked her hair out of her face with one hand. He didn't want to leave her, but if he was to build a fire to keep her warm then he had to retrieve some firewood before it rained. Reluctantly, he pulled himself to the cave entrance and brought his keyblade to bear as he chanted the spell for a barrier. His experience with the spell was mediocre but it would have to do until he returned. The magic wall shimmered to life and grew invisible after a moment; it would repel most creatures easily, assuming there _were_ any in this desolate world.

It was indeed a harsh place, Terra noted. It seemed to be in a forever darkness, aside from that eery, glowing light. The land was full of inhospitable rocky canyons and deep dark forests, with thunder and lightning bringing a constant growling and charging the air with a crazed energy.

The atmosphere was unnerving, and Terra couldn't wait to be rid of the place, but the Jedi had told him to keep Aqua still for a day. He would just have to put up with it until she was well enough to travel.

The cave was halfway up a rocky mountain, and Terra could see that the closest forest was at the foot of the mountain, so he chose a staggering path and began to climb down, every now and then shooting a careful glance back to the cave.

* * *

He was on his way back, his arms full of firewood when lightning and thunder crashed nearby, the rain hammering down in sheets only a few miles away now. As the thunder died away, Terra's brows furrowed, his mind filtering out the dull noise as he thought he heard something else mixed in. A growling maybe? It could have easily blended with the thunder, but he was especially on edge now, and he questioned every little variance. Squinting against the darkness toward his destination, Terra suddenly dropped his load with loud a clatter. Something was moving around at the mouth of the cave and it wasn't Aqua. It paced back and forth in front of the barrier, testing it and screeching with pain every time.

Apparently this world _was_ inhabited.

Terra launched himself up the mountain at a startling speed, faltering when he didn't take notice of a rock here or a snag there. His focus was aimed at his enemy, and right now his enemy was anything that threatened Aqua. As he drew ever closer, the thing became more than just a moving, screeching shadow. It had an enormous lizard-like head that whipped around to hiss at Terra, displaying a maw equipped with multiple rows of vicious teeth. It alternated between walking on all four limbs to just its hind ones, its forepaws huge and deadly looking as it reared to attack.

Terra roared back furiously as Earthshaker materialized only seconds before he came down on the beast in a blinding rage of light. He kept one step ahead of it, even though the monster fought back savagely, snapping, slashing and slamming its mighty claws to the earth where Terra had been only an instant before. He pulled his keyblade in close and maneuvered around the creature as it spun to snap at him again and when the opportunity presented itself, Terra struck the final blow and impaled the giant lizard through its throat, ducking down to avoid its flailing claws as it writhed around in its final moments.

When it finally went limp and dropped to the ground with a lifeless thump, Terra dismissed his keyblade and let out a heavy breath, allowing himself to pant now that the danger had passed. Although, looking around, he couldn't be sure the danger was really gone. If this creature existed then there were no doubt many more, and they would be drawn to the disturbance just now, not to mention the lizard's corpse. He growled and scratched his head in aggravation, glaring at the dead lizard as though it were suddenly the bane of his existence. He would have to move it away from the cave to draw other predators away, although since he had to go back and retrieve the firewood he could accomplish both objectives without too much effort. And since he wouldn't need to leave Aqua alone afterward he could easily ward off anymore monsters.

Groaning with annoyance, Terra hefted one of the lizard's legs and began dragging it down the mountain, cringing when he noticed the trail of blood it was leaving. He would definitely be forced to fend off more of the creatures, but hopefully the corpse would buy him some time. He dropped the dead lizard when he reached his scattered collection of firewood and gathered it up again. Thunder roared overhead and it was suddenly very windy as sporadic droplets fell from the sky. He wasn't expecting the few raindrops that landed on his skin to burn like acid. Scowling, he hurried back to the cave, just stepping passed the barrier and depositing his load as the rain washed down on the rocky ground like a wave and sent up an unusual steam-like fog into the air. He moved back to the weakened barrier and reinforced it with a fresh spell, pleased that it seemed to keep the rain and the, no doubt noxious, fumes from getting in.

He turned around to see Aqua was still sleeping and hadn't moved. He sighed both out of relief and exhaustion. He found himself longing for the peace and mundane routine of Radiant Garden. He enjoyed visiting other worlds with Aqua but all of this drama was starting to get to him.

He set to work building a fire and found himself wondering why the monster had found them so quickly. His eyes widened when he realized how stupid he had been. Aqua's wound had bled all over the back of her Jedi robes and he hadn't thought to remove them since they would keep her warmer. But the scent of blood had attracted the beast like a bug to a flame. He immediately started unwrapping the bloody robes from around her torso, suddenly very thankful that she had kept her black halter top on underneath, as the style of it didn't collect much blood from the back. He threw the bloodied clothing into the fire, feeding it and knowing the smell of it burning would attract the predators just as much, but it was the quickest way to get rid of it and he had little alternative at the moment.

He settled her safely beside the fire so she could soak in the majority of the warmth while he sat down on her other side and faced the cave entrance, keyblade in hand. Nothing was getting in on his watch... not in one piece anyway.

* * *

He wasn't sure how many hours had passed since his return, but Terra was starting to get really worried. He had dismissed his weapon awhile ago, determining that nothing was stupid enough to wander around in the acid rain. He had focused solely on the woman at his side. Aqua still hadn't so much as twitched in her sleep, and although she hadn't contracted a fever or showed any signs of infection, she also wasn't showing any signs of improvement either.

He kept running the Jedi medic's words through his mind, trying to reassure himself over and over. _"She should be fine," _is what he had said. So why wasn't she? He looked down to see her peaceful face, brows relaxed, mouth slightly parted as she breathed. _Should. _It wasn't a guarantee. She _should _be fine. He felt a sudden wave of despair rising in his chest and tried to distract himself by thinking more on the Jedi's words, wondering if he had overlooked something that he was supposed to do. "There is no death, there is the force," Terra repeated to himself without really intending to say the words aloud. He couldn't say he actually believed in the Jedi's "force", but the thought of there being no death was a comfort to him. "There is no death," he told himself again, nodding his head slightly as if he needed only to convince himself for it to be true.

He leaned down and cradled her head with one arm, kissing her forehead tenderly and almost whimpering into her hair. "Aqua, please wake up." He clenched his fists and slammed the cave floor with his other arm in frustration. "What am I without you? What is darkness without light?" He felt his body shudder as he lost himself in a pit of writhing emotions. Guilt, because he should have been able to protect her. Anger, because the attack had been completely unprovoked. And Fear, because he honestly didn't know how he would ever go on without her.

He loved her so much. Why did she continue to sleep?

He felt his heart hitch in his chest when he heard a sharp intake of breath beneath him. He pulled back to see that her face had contorted painfully as she went to grip her aching shoulder. Her eyes were open but they were clouded with pain and hardly acknowledged his presence. He looked to the hand on her shoulder. The Jedi had closed the wound but the area around the scar was bruised and no doubt extremely sore. He moved a hand to hover over hers and applied a healing in the hopes of easing her pain.

"Terra?" she called weakly and turned to him as though she were just now seeing him, her irises clearing more by the second.

"I'm here," he answered gently, taking her other hand in his. "You're safe."

Despite the pain, she smiled warmly at him and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Her mind felt unusually groggy, and she couldn't remember what had happened, but she knew it must have been really bad, because the pain in her shoulder was horrible. "What _happened_?" She finally took her hand from her shoulder and placed it on her head in an attempt to get the room to stop spinning... Room. She squinted. What kind of room had black stone for a ceiling? She soon realized they were in a cave, a fire flickering nearby and sending orange flashes across her vision.

Terra hushed her and leaned down once again, touching his forehead to hers affectionately. "It doesn't matter. You're safe now." He really didn't want to explain the matter to her at the moment; the fact that they had been forced to leave the Jedi to certain destruction.

"Terra," she replied in that stubborn tone of hers and pushed her free hand against him feebly. "Tell me what happened."

He sighed and moved back slightly, their faces mere inches apart as he looked down at her, his expression a gauntlet of emotions. "I promise I'll tell you later, but for now, can we please, just," he paused, averting his gaze from her for an instant, the hurt in his eyes intense. "Can we just not talk about it for now?"

Aqua frowned at him, but not because of the pain in her shoulder. He was acting as though something had beaten the fight out of him. Like he had been close to giving up. Giving up on what, she wasn't entirely sure, but she couldn't stamp out her need to know what had happened completely. "Maybe..," she hesitated, meeting his gaze with apprehension. "Maybe we should go home."

Terra nodded his head in agreement, his expression neither disappointed nor relieved, but solemn. "Whatever you want," he replied, eyebrows down in a fervent expression as he moved to embrace her again, his face pressed into her hair almost desperately, like he thought she would fade away if he didn't cling to her. "As long as you're safe, nothing else matters."

"Terra, what's wrong? Was it really that bad?" She tried to pull out of his hold but he held firm and she finally gave up trying to fight it. When she felt a foreign wetness in her hair and a sudden tremor from his body, she could only frown into his neck and stroke his hair behind his head to comfort him. She couldn't remember a time when he was ever this upset, and certainly had never seen him give way to tears. Something had shaken him to his core and she didn't even know what it was! It was so frustrating, feeling his suffering as though it were her own and not be able to understand it. She knew she had to be patient though; it was obvious to her now that he wasn't about to talk until he was ready.

Aqua closed her eyes and leaned into him further, holding him as his body shook with emotions that she could only guess at.

* * *

The toxic rain never let up once, and Terra allowed himself to indulge in Aqua's embrace, dozing off with one arm resting over her waist and keyblade in hand. She didn't question him about it, didn't say anything for that matter, but gently stroked his dark bangs behind his ear to comfort him until she too fell asleep to the crackling of the fire and the rhythmic patter of rain outside.

They slept off most the day, or at least what could be considered a day, if this world had a standard rotation of a sun. Terra figured it was close enough to a day, since Aqua was up and moving around again, albeit sluggish and against his urging to keep still.

"I'm fine, Terra, really," she insisted after pacing around the cave and brandished Rainfell to prove her point. "Let's go already, I'm ready to be home and sleep in my own bed again." Terra had been standing near the fire, watching her like a hawk when she tested out her weakened stride. His expression was worried when she came to stand before him and took one of his hands in her own. "I miss Ven."

Terra nodded soberly, his hand tightening around hers. "If you think you're strong enough to travel."

Aqua nodded back, watching him warily. Upon waking up for the second time in the cave, she had remembered everything up until passing out in the snow, with a gaping hole in her chest and the assailant's glowing yellow eyes glaring down at her. She shook her head suddenly, trying to banish the disturbing image from her mind. "Wait a second." She held up a hand to stop him from summoning his armor and glider. "I remember what happened yesterday."

Her words hung in the air for a long moment and Terra didn't reply, his sight downcast miserably, his free hand clenched and shaking with either frustration or rage, maybe a bit of both. Aqua took a careful breath, trying to draw him out gently. "I know I was foolish to think he could be reasoned with-" She was taken back when he suddenly interrupted her.

"You have to promise me that you won't ever let your guard down like that again."

"Terra," Aqua murmured uncertainly. "I can't promise something like that, but I'll-"

"You have too!" he barked, a little too harshly he knew, but his emotions were a turbulent mess in his chest and he desperately needed her to understand the severity of how her near-death had effected him. Her eyes had widened somewhat by his tone, since he rarely ever raised his voice to her, but her expression softened when he reached up with his other hand to cup her cheek tenderly. "Please, _please_ promise me," he pleaded again, gently this time.

Aqua wasn't one to make promises she couldn't keep, it went against her nature, never mind the values Eraqus had planted within her conscience. But meeting his earnest dark blues in the firelight, she knew that he needed to hear those words, and she felt like if she didn't tell him, he may just shatter into a million pieces right in front of her. "Alright Terra, I promise, on one condition." She mirrored his gesture, one hand on his cheek as he blinked in question. "You have to promise to never again lose yourself to despair."

Terra averted his gaze then, his countenance reflecting shame only to have Aqua yank him back by his chin, a determined look in her sapphire eyes. He had to admit, it was a reasonable trade between two unreasonable requests. "I promise," he finally replied with a sigh and pulled her into a warm kiss, as though sealing the vows.

* * *

It had taken them longer to return home than they originally hoped it would. But neither of them were willing to risk making a pit stop at one of the worlds along the way, not with the luck they were having lately. There were times when Terra worried Aqua was weakening aboard her glider, but she held together remarkably well, and they touched down in one of Radiant Garden's many courtyards without incident.

After dismissing their armor and gliders, Terra automatically moved to steady her when she staggered weakly and she did not protest his assistance. "I'm exhausted," she admitted. It was like all her energy had instantly vanished as soon as she knew they were home and safe.

"You need to rest." Aqua nodded in agreement and pushed off from leaning against him, opting instead to twin one hand with his as they started toward the imposing building which served as an academy, a training center, as well as living quarters for all of its supporters and students. Terra wasn't about to deny his desire for a long, uninterrupted sleep, especially with the prospect of having Aqua pressed comfortably against him, as he had become rather accustomed to.

They had just reached the bottom of the steps that led to the front double doors when a clamor of excitement came from one of the training courtyards some distance away. Aqua's class of students were gathered together there and appeared to make a move to stampede in her direction but the adult in charge of them gave them a stern look and snapped a command, to which they all halted obediently. Said adult turned to the two keybearers and approached at a jog, her short, jet black hair and headband tassels blew around loosely as she moved.

"Yuffie," Aqua greeted pleasantly, though her tone was lined with weariness.

"Hey you two!" Yuffie chirped with exuberance. "It's about time you came back!" The ninja shot a thumb over her shoulder. "Those little gremlins are a real pain in the ass!"

Aqua closed her eyes in an attempt to hide her disapproval but offered a good natured smiled. "They can be a handful."

"You can say that again! I thought they were gonna trample me when they seen you."

"How long have we been gone exactly?" Terra asked the ninja and she turned to him with a quizzical look.

"Almost a month I guess," Yuffie answered, a finger to her chin in thought. "Ven has been spinning around like a top without you, especially ever since we finished with the construction."

"A month?" Terra and Aqua chorused, sharing a look of astonishment. They couldn't have spent more than two weeks traveling around but time did seem to pass differently in the other worlds.

Yuffie's expression turned sly when she took note of the couple's interlocked hands. "And just _what_ have you two been up to this whole time?" the ninja asked suggestively, hands on hips.

Heat crawled up Aqua's neck in embarrassment and she sputtered incoherently while Terra merely gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He wasn't ashamed of his feelings for her, and he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable because of him. He hoped she would get over her embarrassment with time and enough conditioning. "We've learned a lot about each other on our journey together," he answered Yuffie's question but his eyes were resting on Aqua as he added solemnly, "we've also learned a few things about ourselves."

Aqua smiled at him and Yuffie shifted uncomfortably, looking from one keybearer to the other as they ignored her. The acrobat made a face and stepped back. "Ok... Maybe I _don't_ want to know after all."

Terra and Aqua turned to watched Yuffie's retreat and blinked at the redhead that had suddenly appeared by the ninja's side seemingly out of nowhere and completely undetected. "Yo." He raised a hand in greeting with a toothy grin, his flaming red hair trembling as he moved. "Glad to see the lovebirds are finally back!"

Aqua fought off another blush but she and Terra suddenly found themselves being ignored and they watched as the other two delved into an argument.

"Lea!" Yuffie just about jumped out of her skin when he spoke. "Don't _do_ that!" She smacked his shoulder in aggravation. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on a ninja? I could have sliced your head clean off!"

"I wasn't sneaking around," Lea retorted, his hands waving around expressively. "You just need to be more aware of you surroundings."

"I _what_?" Yuffie nearly snarled at him, her mouth hanging open to roll out a furious set of expletives but thought better of it and settled for hitting his shoulder again. "You're late by the way! You were supposed to relieve me of babysitting duty an hour ago!"

"Well, you're in a good mood today," Lea remarked pleasantly, grinning at her and rubbed his offended shoulder.

"Don't even bother Mister!" Yuffie huffed at him, hands on hips. "You're good looks don't work on me, now come on, since Aqua's here to occupy the kids, I have a different chore for you." She yanked him away by his arm and he appeared to be happy to let her.

Lea smiled and waved at Terra and Aqua. "Welcome back!" He turned back to Yuffia as she continued to drag him away and he prodded at her shoulder. "Hey, hey, are we gonna go do that one thing again?"

"No way!" Yuffie shouted, somehow knowing exactly what he was talking about. "I'm keeping you and Tigger as far apart as possible after that last stunt you two pulled!"

"Aww come on Yuf-Yuf, let a guy have some fun," he whined in such a pathetic voice, looking much like a dog being pulled along by his scruff with his tail between his legs. Anymore of their argument was fading and incoherent as they walked out of range. Terra and Aqua staring after them for a moment, bewildered and dazed.

The ninja's departure must have been a silent signal for the children to explode from their place in the training courtyard, for Terra and Aqua were surrounded my the young faces in a matter of seconds. "Master Aqua! You're back!" shouted a familiar young voice from the crowd. Aqua instantly recognized the voice belonging to her favorite student, the same five year old little girl that was forever asking questions.

Aqua released her hold on Terra and knelt down with an affectionate smile, embracing or touching the heads of each of her students appropriately by age. "I've missed all of you. Have you been keeping up with your studies?" she asked them intently, though her voice betrayed a deep weariness and she felt her vision waver suddenly. She placed a hand on her forehead in the hopes of fending off the bout of dizziness, unwittingly setting off coos and whimpers of concern throughout her class of students.

"Master, are you alright?" a few of them chorused.

She looked up to nod at them weakly. "Just tired. Visiting other worlds is hard work you know!" she told them with a smile and poked the little girl's stomach playfully and eliciting an infectious giggle out of her.

"That's why _Master_ Aqua needs to rest," Terra said, suddenly asserted his presence and regarded the children as a whole. "You're all dismissed for the day." He made a gesture for them to scamper off but they all hesitated uncomfortably, looking to Aqua until she nodded. They did as they were told, some with whoops of joy, others with solemn farewells while Aqua's favorite little girl hoped she would get well soon so she could train them all again.

As her class departed and dispersed, Aqua stood up and aimed a smirk at Terra. "Trying to take over my class of faithful protégé's are you?"

Terra gave her a dubious look. "Hardly." He started for the steps once again, glancing over his shoulder and expecting her to follow. "And I'm still scheming to get you to agree to the Jedi's system of having only one apprentice at a time."

"Why?" she wondered, only a step behind him while her lightheaded state seemed to have ebbed for the moment. "It takes the same amount of time to teach one as it would to teach an entire class."

Terra sent her a sidelong glance, his tone as suggestive as the flash in his eyes. "Because then I won't have to fend off an entire herd of them just to get you alone."

"Oh, you." Aqua narrowed her eyes at him and resisted the urge to swipe at his shoulder, opting instead to curl an arm around his as they scaled the stairs.

Terra's mouth curled up slightly into a complacent smirk and they both instinctively halted at the threshold of the building, a grand gray statue towering above them. They looked up fondly into their late master's face, his stony gaze forever looking to the horizon as the vigilant sentry he was, and always had been. "I miss him." Aqua surprised herself with the level of longing in her own voice. "I think I always will."

Terra gazed down at her sadly, his own heart sinking with an old grief. He moved his hand down to once again clasp hers. "So will I."

They stayed there awhile longer, silent, as though they were paying their master respects even though they had both done so multiple times since his untimely death. Terra finally gave Aqua's hand a squeeze and tugged, leading her solemnly into the building only to nearly get run over by an overly excited yet equally lovable blond. "Yuffie told me you were back!" Ven howled elatedly, pouncing on both of his friends without restraint, one arm looped around each of their necks in a hug. "It's about time!"

"Hey Ven," Terra greeted with a grin and ruffled the teen's hair affectionately. "It's good to be back."

"I've missed you so much Ven!" Aqua hugged her blond friend desperately, and felt tears threatening to fall, though she fought them off. Whether they were due to seeing Ven or her previous longing to see her master, she wasn't sure, perhaps both. What she was certain of though was her sudden lightheaded state returning and she wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to remain standing.

"Look Ven," Terra said, pulling out of the teen's hold and moving to assist Aqua as she wavered on her feet. "Aqua's been through a lot recently and she needs to rest. We'll catch up later, ok?"

"Oh, right." Ven drew back then, his shining blue eyes worried as he noted Aqua's pale condition. He nodded and waved after them as they headed down a hall toward the residential section of the academy. "I expect to hear all about your adventures later!" he called at them before running off in another direction.

They passed a number of other comrades as they made their way to Aqua's quarters, one such encounter being Leon, though he merely nodded to them in greeting. Whether that could be considered an encounter or not depended greatly on the beholder.

Upon reaching her room, Aqua was feeling more exhausted then ever, and she wondered if she would even be able to manage addressing the matter that was sure to come, a matter she had been dreading for awhile now.

She halted in her doorway and raised a hand to halt Terra in his tracks, as he had obviously intended to follow her inside. He stood there for a moment, bewildered and staring at her hand as though it had just insulted him. He looked up to see that Aqua would not meet his gaze, her expression weary and rueful, though at the same time somehow determined. He waited patiently for her to explain herself and realized she was waiting for a passerby to step out of earshot. "I'm sorry, but, we," she paused and clenched her teeth as though the words pained her greatly. "We have to set a good example, now that we're back."

Terra stood awkwardly just outside her door, confused yet he completely understood her meaning. Frustrated yet he knew he couldn't argue with her logic. He had thought he would at least have her to himself at night, like during their travels. He suddenly felt extremely cheated out of something he thought was rightfully his.

"Terra?" Apparently he had been silent for too long, his expression too broken as Aqua finally met his gaze with concern. "You understand, don't you?" she asked him softly, as though she were using the last of her strength to reason with him.

With that realization, he found that he could not argue with her about it, not that he had any sort of practical response for an actual argument. He let out a heavy sigh and nodded dejectedly. He would just have to work out different opportunities to spend time with her then. "I'm sorry," she repeated, her crystalline eyes shining at him with a genuine regret.

"Don't be." He shook his head and smiled gently as he raised a hand to her cheek objectively. "Am I allowed to kiss you goodnight at least?"

Aqua smiled back furtively. "Why do I feel like it wouldn't matter if I said no?"

"Taking that as a yes," he said and hastily leaned down to kiss her tender lips before moving away from her doorway just as quickly, before he decided to force his way in against her wishes. "Sleep well, Aqua," he called back as he headed for his own room. He hardly heard her reply when her door clicked shut. His features darkened with mischief; he had some schemes to work out and he had a pretty good idea where to start.

* * *

Terra worked tirelessly at the synthesizing bench in his room. He scowled down at his most recent abomination. He just couldn't seem to get it right!

Two days had passed since they returned and things had been rather uneventful. Aqua was still recovering, though she seemed to grow more and more energetic every hour. Ven had finally received his proper reunion with the couple as well as a tactful variation of their journey to the various worlds.

Aqua had once again retired to her room to sleep for the night, and Terra to his project in his own room. He sat, staring down at the various materials on the work bench, wondering how he would ever be able to create what he pictured in his mind. Maybe his imagination was just defective? He was never the greatest at synthing things though. Aqua was always the one with an innate ability to create and mold elements into whatever it was she desired. But he couldn't exactly ask her for advice, since that would just make her suspicious.

No, he needed to finish this project on his own. With his teeth pressed together in concentration, he tried again, using a different set of materials. He closed his eyes and pictured the shape he desired, the color, the texture and infused the glowing elements together with a pulse of magic. When the synthesis finished with a hiss of evaporating energy, he opened his eyes and stared down at his handy work with a satisfied grin. Finally! Success!

He was about to leap up and rush out the door with his creation in hand but quickly remembered it was nighttime and everyone was no doubt asleep. His scheme would just have to wait for tomorrow. And it would indeed unravel tomorrow, because frankly, he didn't know how much longer he could continue not having Aqua constantly at his side, not after becoming so accustomed to it for so long.

He crossed over to his bed and forced himself to sleep off the eternity of the night, alone. _For the last time_, he vowed with complacent smile.

* * *

The next day Terra insisted Aqua go with him to their favorite retreat; the fountain courtyard. The calming waters flowed rhythmically all around yet it only managed to sooth his pounding heart slightly as he urged her to sit on one of the benches.

"Terra," she addressed, sitting obediently though eying him suspiciously. "What are you up to?"

He stood directly in front of her and pulled his synthed creation from one of his pockets and held it behind his back for a moment. "I made something for you, but it comes with a price."

"Terra," Aqua chided playfully. "How can a gift come with a price? That defeats its purpose."

"Because," he replied with the most genuine, loving tone he could extend as he reached out and placed his gift into her hands. "This gift comes with a promise."

Aqua looked down at her cupped hands resting in her lap, her bright blue eyes widening at the gold ring now resting in her palm. It was laced with sapphire like a spiraling tendril all the way around its circumference and it shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight. "T-Terra," she sputtered, her hands suddenly trembling. "A-are you asking-?"

"Yes," he answered simply, his eyes closed with a warm smile on his lips. "I am." He gave his head a sheepish tilt. "If you'll have me, darkness and all."

"Of course I'll have you," she told him passionately, her eyes brimming with tears of happiness. "What is light, without darkness?"

_Fin_

* * *

_AN: Once again I have a picture that relates to the end of this chapter, a link for it is on my profile as usual.  
And I'm sorry but I can totally see both Yuffie, Lea and Tigger hitting it off and causing all sorts of trouble in the hundred acre wood! (I should totally make a 1000-word one-shot of that! That's right, my idea, no stealing!) XD  
_


	11. Future

Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

**Awakening**

_AN: Whelp! Here it is, the last chapter! I added two minor pairings to this chapter, one is canon the other is a crack ship and I hope I don't get shot for it.(I do have my reasons for it though!) As for Eraqus... I have faith that you guys will figure it out.(If not, then you are going to be really confused! HA!)  
Enjoy the ending! (sniff,cry,tear)_

**Epilogue – Future**

* * *

Terra's stride was hasty and he avoided the looks he was getting from passerby as he headed down the Keyblade Academy halls. The white haori he wore trailed in his wake and his scowl of annoyance warped the new stubble on his chin oddly. He took as many twists and turns into various other corridors in the hopes of confusing anyone that was brave enough to tail him. His objective was simple: Keep moving and don't get caught.

His cunning strategy had worked well for about an hour, as one could get quite lost in the academy halls if one so desired. However, it seemed that his ruthless adversary had sent out the secret weapon. The blond hound that could magically sniff him out of even his most elaborately thought out hiding places.

"Terra!" Ventus called from down the hall at his dark haired friend, arms crossed with a higher authority as he blocked his friend's path. His spiky blond hair was a little longer and he was taller, barely a head shorter than Terra now, his voice deeper. "Aqua's looking for you."

"I know!" Terra grumbled back and halted a few feet away. "She's relentless." _Ever since she became a mother_, he added to himself silently. Sighing in resignation, he guessed it was his own fault for being a father.

"I was told to bring you in, dead or alive."

Terra thought idly for a moment. "That sounds about right."

"So?" Ven shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"So?" Terra questioned back, brow raised expectantly.

"So will you come quietly?" Ven gave the area a quick glance. "Or do we have to turn this hallway into the next keyblade graveyard?"

"Sounds like a lot of trouble," Terra replied with a weary sigh and a lazy gesture. "What's the alternative?"

"Babysitting."

"Of course."

"Come on Terra, it's just his first birthday, what are you afraid of?"

"It's not the birthday that I'm avoiding," Terra clarified with a glare. "It's this damn wedding! Why does it have to be so elaborate and drawn out anyway? Why can't they just say the vows and get it over with already? I'm sure everyone would be much happier that way," he ranted, his hands flying up in the air expressively before adding with a sympathetic grumble, "especially Cloud."

Ven offered a similar expression of sympathy. "Yeah, poor guy should have asked her a long time ago. Now Tifa's just making him suffer because of it."

Terra nodded his head in pity, as though he were paying respects to a friend's grave. "Wrath of a woman." Speaking of, Terra looked to Ven with a cringe. "So, just how mad is she?"

"Aqua?" Ven gave his head a cant. "I _did_ tell you that she didn't care if I brought you back dead, right?"

Terra crossed his arms and nodded, thoughtful. The only reason she didn't specify was probably so she could kill him herself... He sighed in defeat and hung his head dejectedly as he started down the hall reluctantly. "Alright, let's get this over with already."

"Oh good," Ven said with that cheerful smile of his, following at his friend's side. "I was worried Eraqus might have to grow up without a father."

Terra scoffed and shoved Ven playfully. "As if you could best me to that extent."

Ven shoved back. "_I've_ been training." He aimed a pointed finger at his friend. "And _you've_ been getting lazy."

Terra's only reply was an incoherent grumble and their boyish posturing came to a halt when they reached an intersecting hallway as Lea and Yuffie passed in front of them. Terra watched them pass with a hint of suspicion and bewilderment as Ven merely laughed at Lea's predicament. Yuffie marched down the hall with the redhead's ear in one hand, leading him away and spouting off a lecture of some kind. Terra couldn't really decipher it though, as Yuffie seemed to have her own unique vocabulary at times.

Why the fiery redhead allowed the ninja to abuse him so was no mystery. "They're next," Terra muttered with a dark humor when the couple was finally out of earshot.

"Huh?" Ven questioned as they started down the hall again. "You mean Yuffie and Lea?"

"They'll learn soon enough," Terra grumbled before rounding on his blond friend with a sudden intensity in his voice. "Don't ever get involved with a woman, Ven. They're nothing but trouble!"

Ven jerked away with a start and a nervous smile. "Why do I feel like Aqua would throttle you for saying that?"

"Because she would! That's my point!" Terra threw up his arms and then dropped them dramatically. "Now I have to spend all day trying to make up to her,_ if_ she doesn't just decide to end me on the spot."

"Terra," Ven tried to sooth. "I think you're overreacting."

"Am I?" the taller man snorted. "We'll see."

They rounded another corridor and Terra cringed as Ven sniggered beside him. "Sooner than you think, maybe?" They entered a wide open area, a child's rec room of sorts, where a handful of children were currently playing with toys or reading books. Terra's gaze settled on the blue haired woman sitting in a sofa with a book in hand and a dark haired toddler playing at her feet. Aqua had an odd expression, it wasn't a scowl exactly, though Terra had it pegged, because only Aqua could accomplish looking impatient while reading.

Ven gave the older man an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Good luck," he offered and ran ahead to greet the baby boy with a grin. "Eraqus!" Ven slid to his knees in front of the toddler and raised one hand playfully. "Up high!" The little boy started at first but recognition bloomed on his young features and he reached up to touch Ven's palm with a tiny hand of his own as though he had been trained to do so. Ven's grin widened and the little boy erupted into a chain of giggles.

Aqua looked up from her book when Ven had approached, ignoring his antics and as if out of instinct her blue eyes wandered over to see Terra frozen in his spot. He swore she could smell fear. _His_ fear. She pinned him with an icy glare and moved to scoop the baby boy up, her book forgotten as she had her deadly sights set on her target. Ven whined plaintively as his playmate was pulled away but was suddenly very relieved Aqua's ire was not aimed at him.

Terra shifted his feet and fidgeted uncomfortably as she approached with their son. In an attempt to steady his nerves, he focused on the boy instead of his mother. Eraqus' messy tuft of blue hair was so dark that it was nearly black and his baby blue eyes were pure and bright, like his mother's. His mouth gaped open into a wide smile and he reached up to Terra with short little arms when his mother halted a mere foot away. "Da!"

"Sorry I'm late," he offered sheepishly to the fuming woman now handing their son over to him. And although he was really only sorry for getting caught, an apology couldn't hurt right?

Wrong, especially since Aqua had a knack for recognizing a fib when she heard one.

Her crystalline glare intensified and Terra cringed back an inch. She didn't even bother to ask where he had been. "I'll deal with you later, when your son is asleep and he won't have to see me humiliate you."

"Great," Terra muttered sarcastically, attempting to hide behind the child in his arms. "Delayed punishment, my favorite."

Without another word, Aqua spun and stalked off to whatever assignment she was no doubt late for.

"Wow, she's really mad." Ven drew to Terra's side, hand on hip and watching Aqua depart with a look of astonishment. "When did she get so bossy on you?"

Terra narrowed his eyes and stretched out his arms, holding the gurgling baby boy in the air objectively. "Ever since_ this_ arrived." Eraqus giggled at his new trajectory and stretched his arms out as well, his hands flexing as Terra pulled him back to his chest. "But really, she's always been bossy, you know that." He flinched when the boy started to climb him like a mountain, tugging at dark brown locks and pawing his father's face for a purchase. Terra endured the abuse with nothing more than a grunt, Eraqus screeching loudly with pleasure, as his mother would not allow for such nonsense to occur on her head.

Ven nodded in agreement. "I know that better than anyone, though she hasn't bossed me around for a long time, not since..." His words trailed off and he smiled at the baby boy's current activity. Ven loosed a mild chuckle at Terra's expense. "Maybe we should take him outside so he can run off some of that energy before the wedding ceremony."

* * *

Terra and Ven sat on a bench in one of the courtyards outside, where a single fountain nearby spouted water into the air and fell back into a pool below. They watched as little Eraqus sat on the bricked ground, surrounded by a number of other children of various ages. He cried excitedly as the other kids tossed a large blue ball around to each other and sometimes tossing it to the toddler to elicit a bursting round of laughter from him as he batted at it furiously.

Terra sighed in exasperation and let his head hang back dramatically, his arms sprawled on the back of the bench lazily. "Now I have to think up ten redeeming acts to make up for one sin."

"Aw come on Terra," Ven admonished with a lopsided smile. "Aqua won't hold a grudge for too long, you know that."

Terra turned his head slightly to the blond with a tired look. Sneaking around the academy for an hour had worn him out, never mind how it got him into trouble. "I'm never going to assume her anger will always just evaporate into thin air, not when I can easily do something about it."

"Ok so?" Ven ventured and smirked when Eraqus crawled to the blue sphere after it had strayed from the other kids. "What do you have so far?"

"Get cleaned up for the wedding first," Terra mused in a monotone as though he were listing off chores. "Then I'll make her some tea. And count my lucky stars if she doesn't immediately throw it in my face."

Ven guffawed, apparently amused by the sudden mental image of Terra's face dripping wet. "She wouldn't do that."

"No?" Terra scoffed and leaned forward with a smile that came too easily when his son teetered toward him. The boy's weak legs wobbling and he stumbled into strong arms that lifted him up and settled him in his father's lap. Terra tickled his belly and Eraqus giggled uncontrollably, his game with the other kids forgotten as they continued without him.

Terra was suddenly very grateful that his son had such a good disposition. He was happy ninety percent of the time and was either very quiet or whiny the other ten percent and only when he was hungry or tired. He sometimes cried out of frustration but it happened so rarely that it hadn't even been deemed a percentile yet. Terra relented his tickling and the boy's laughter subsided. Eraqus simply lay there, cooing contentedly in his father's safe hold, blissfully unaware of any invisible tension currently between his parents.

"Sorry for hunting you down earlier," Ven murmured suddenly and scratched his head sheepishly. "I offered to babysit for you but Aqua wouldn't have it."

"Yeah," Terra drawled with annoyance. "She's on this thing about responsibility lately, I'm hoping its just a phase. Maybe she'll get over it in a few weeks and I can start training again, since I'm apparently getting _lazy_."

Ven laughed. "Well you _are_!"

"Bah," Terra huffed and waved a bothered hand at him as he stood up from the bench, tossing Eraqus gently into the air and catching him deftly. The boy howled with glee and burst into another fit of giggles as he braced his little hands on Terra's face. "Well I guess we should get cleaned up. I can't fathom how the runt gets so dirty from just sitting around all day."

Ven stood up as well and poked Eraqus' chubby stomach affectionately. "See you at the ceremony then."

Terra departed with a grumble and a wave. "Don't remind me!"

* * *

Shortly after getting married, Terra and Aqua had moved into one of the larger apartments in the master's wing of the academy. With all the amenities any normal home might provide: two bedrooms, a living room, dining, bath, kitchen. Really, being a master had its perks.

After returning to the apartment, Terra and Eraqus had cleaned up in record time. Now the challenge was _keeping_ him clean, for the dust and dirt seemed to be attracted to the boy as if he were a magnet to such things. With a tired sigh, Terra moved to the kitchen and set some water to boil on the stove for Aqua's tea, Eraqus crawling after him whilst making bubbling noises to amuse himself.

Terra set out a cup and a jar of honey and glared at the pot of water that defiantly refused to boil. He didn't have the patience for it but he knew if he walked away an impossible explosion would somehow combust and he would have to redeem himself for burning down the building. Not a pleasant thought, so he planted his feet and crossed his arms stubbornly. Eraqus continued to make odd noises at his feet and Terra fought the urge to glance down to the boy, he refused to get distracted from his current objective.

When the water finally started to agitate Terra blew out a sigh of relief and finished the chore by adding some honey with a spoon and licked any remaining residue from the utensil. He felt a tugging on his pant leg and looked down to see Eraqus peering up at him, hopeful. Terra smiled and poured a few drops of honey on the spoon to let the boy taste. After pulling the spoon from his mouth, Eraqus exclaimed unintelligibly and hopped around the kitchen with a joyful cry. "Good stuff yeah?" Terra chuckled and stood up, poured himself some more honey and stuck it in his mouth as he picked up the tray with Aqua's tea and headed to set it down on a stand near the doorway so she couldn't miss it.

There was no chance of that though, because she walked in right as he came out of the kitchen, Eraqus on his heels. Terra still had the spoon in his mouth and he was sure he visibly paled, thinking Aqua may very well stick it down his throat if she were still angry. Luckily the tea in his hands drew her attention and he forced a nervous smile as he held it out to her wordlessly.

She eyed him cautiously, ignoring Eraqus' attempts at her attention below. "It's a start," she told him roughly, though her eyes danced as though she were forcing her temper now. She took the offered cup of tea, pulled the spoon out of his mouth and proceeded to stir the brew as she headed for the dining table with Eraqus trailing after her excitedly. That spoon was getting around!

Terra followed but halted in the kitchen, not wanting to push his luck. He watched as she sat down and took a sip, assisting Eraqus when he demanded to sit in her lap. He reached for the cup in her hand. "Mo," he uttered in his version of "More."

"You won't like it." Aqua gave him a dubious look but gave him a spoonful of the liquid anyway.

The boy swallowed but gagged instantly and scampered off her lap as though a monster were after him. He hurried over to Terra and reached up at the counter. "Mo, Da, mo!"

Terra chuckled and pulled out another spoon and with a few more drops of honey, held it out of reach. "Honey," he clarified, hoping to see if the boy would duplicate the sound for the reward.

"Hah," Eraqus huffed, his whole body wiggling in expectation. "Hahn, han, han," he repeated, growing impatient.

"Close enough," Terra deemed and issued the reward, causing the boy to rush back to Aqua spouting his new word repeatedly.

"Terra," Aqua moaned with annoyance.

"Come on, it's just honey," Terra reasoned with an innocent tilt of his head. "Besides, it's his birthday, let him have some fun."

Aqua rolled her eyes in defeat and replaced the boy on her lap, his head suddenly lolling against her chest tiredly. She stroked his soft dark hair back, kissing his head and he proceeded to make incoherent noises, bumping against her sternum repeatedly. She smiled down at him tenderly and cradled him with one arm, balancing her cup of tea with the other. "I guess its time for a nap."

"Huh?" Terra suddenly feigned panic, crossing to lean on the table and poke the boy's arm with a frown. "No Eraq, don't leave me!" the man pleaded pathetically, earning him a dubious look from Aqua and a bothered moan from the boy as he batted his father away with a drowsy arm. "But she'll kill me if you sleep!" he wailed which only cause Eraqus to moan loader and paw at his father's face with greater annoyance. Giving up on his attempts to keep his son from falling asleep, Terra dropped backwards onto the floor in defeat, his arms and legs spread out dramatically. "Thanks Son, you just killed your father."

Eraqus glanced at the man on the floor and chortled softly, but his persistent drowsiness would not allow for anything else. Aqua merely sighed in exasperation, unimpressed by the display as she secured her hold on the boy and stood up, tea in hand. "Honestly, it's like I have two children. Ven is the only mature one these days." She stepped over the man on the floor with practiced ease and headed for the bedroom.

Terra breathed deeply and stared up at the ceiling for long moments, awaiting the punishment he was promised that never came. He hadn't expected it to, and he knew Ven was right. Aqua couldn't hold a grudge for very long, it just wasn't in her nature. Still, he thought he should at least respect her threat enough to give it a chance. After another moment he hauled himself to his feet and followed after them. Upon reaching the bedroom, he found Aqua propped up in bed with their son pressed against her chest, nursing and both of them dozing in the quiet, dimly lit room.

He approached her side cautiously and took the empty cup from her loose hold and set it on a table nearby. She met his gaze languidly and he leaned down to carefully kiss her forehead. "I'm sorry," he murmured, genuinely this time and he was pleasantly rewarded with a weak smile from her weary features.

"And I don't hate you," she told him gently, trying not to disturb the child pressed against her.

Terra chuckled softly and crawled into bed beside her, catching his son peak at him briefly before relaxing even more, knowing both his parents were nearby. Terra checked the time and determined they had a few hours to sleep before the blasted wedding ceremony started. For whatever ludicrous reason it was setup to take place at night. He guessed there was something grand and frivolous planned, since Aqua had been needed to offer her brilliant affinity with magic. Not to mention she seemed especially drained from the chore, whatever it was. And although he was somewhat curious, he wasn't about to disturb the pair now snoozing at his side. He would find out what the big fuss was about tonight anyway.

Terra closed his eyes, his son's sleepy noises and his wife's steady breathing lulling him to sleep.

* * *

The ceremony was stationed outside in the largest courtyard, where decorations, refreshments and seating had all been setup. The stars above were shining brightly and temporary lamps had been erected throughout the area, casting a flickering yellow glow on the sacred gathering.

The proceedings had long since started and were dragging on at the pace of a slug, Terra was sure. He fussed in his seat impatiently, more than Eraqus even, who was in all reality supposed to have a shorter attention span. Aqua sat beside him with the boy in her lap, currently amusing himself by gurgling bubbles. Aqua shot her husband a sharp look; a warning. He scowled and hunched his shoulders stubbornly, though some might think he were cowering under her scrutiny.

Terra allowed a minor grumble to escape his throat that earned him a swift swat on the shoulder, to which he ignored. What was there left to be said, really? He was sure most of the nonsense was wasted on the majority of the people here. Terra grinned with satisfaction when he heard Cid shout grumpily from somewhere nearby. "Just kiss'er already!" Most people ignored the disturbance but there was a chorused sniggering from those that were less inclined to keep the wedding solemn.

Terra could only guess how uncomfortable Cloud was feeling, standing up there on a raised platform with Tifa and fidgeting awkwardly as though awaiting his trial to be over with. The blond swordsman probably couldn't wait to be off the stage and blending in with the crowd. Really though, he had all this suffering coming to him, what with all that ridiculous cat and mouse runaround he forced Tifa to put up with for how many years? Terra's only objection was that he was making everyone else suffer along with him!

_Finally_, when the last of the vows had finished, Cloud leaned in to kiss his new wife a bit too eagerly, no doubt partially to have the whole ordeal over with. The audience exploded into a tightly wound applause and cheering, with multiple "Finally!" exclamations from among those gathered, and Terra smirked with approval when he thought he heard Cid add a few expletives to the mix.

Suddenly the sappy background music died and the lights flashed out, leaving everyone in momentary darkness as a loud popping noise erupted somewhere nearby. Soon enough the dark night sky lit up with multiple flashes of light, accompanied by more crackling. _Fireworks._ Terra rolled his eyes at the elaborate display. Putting up with his and Aqua's own wedding ceremony was pain in itself, and he was suddenly very thankful that she hadn't demanded anything fancy or complicated like this. Although, watching the various colors blooming and fading in the sky was rather pleasant and he sent Aqua an appreciative smile, suddenly realizing this was what she had been called to work on earlier that day.

She caught his gaze and smiled back briefly but her attention was drawn to the trembling boy in her lap. Eraqus was cowering against her torso, startled by the load noises and bright flashes in the sky. Aqua curled her body around him protectively and cooed at him reassuringly to which he responded and straitened in her hold somewhat.

Terra watched his son fondly as he overcame his fear with the help of his mother's soothing words. He was genuinely surprised when the boy suddenly turned his bright azure eyes on him and reached out with a gibberish demand that was easily drowned out by the fireworks overhead. Aqua too seemed oddly surprised by the boy's decision; he usually only sought reassurance from her and her alone unless she wasn't present. He would always run to Terra for fun and entertainment, but to her for everything else. It was strange for her to pass him over to his father, and she did so almost reluctantly due to the foreign shift in his behavior.

But after a moment of watching Terra murmur encouraging words to the boy as he pointed up to the sky, Aqua leaned into her husband and smiled with a radiating warmth that spread from her heart.

Terra shifted in his seat and wrapped one arm around her shoulders with the other curled about the boy in his lap. He embraced them both and grinned, chuckling as Eraqus now exclaimed excitedly with each new flash in the sky.

Not a bad ending to a day he thought would be grueling and miserable.

Aqua still loved him even though he had proved to be a slacker in his duties at times and now even his son was starting to rely on him more. He looked up to the bright rays sparking in the black void above with a smile of contentment and held his little family closer.

From his perspective, the future looked bright.

_- Fin -_

* * *

_AN: Ok everyone, that's it! I had SO MUCH FUN writing this story! A big shout out to everyone that reviewed and supported me through it all! Thanks guys! Once again there's a picture that sort of relates to the ending here, it's really cute! Link is on my profile, as well as an announcement about a possible sequel...  
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